In the round-up: NASCAR star Kyle Larson’s IndyCar team mate believes he’s a match for Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen
In brief
Larson “already towards the top”
Alexander Rossi, who is Larson’s team mate for this weekend’s Indianapolis 500 where the NASCAR champion is making a one-off appearance, has been deeply impressed by his performance on his debut in the series.
“I think he’s already towards the top, so I don’t know,” Rossi told the Associated Press. “Put him at the top? Like, he’s ‘The Man.'”
Larson won the NASCAR Cup title for Hendrick in 2021 after being dropped by Ganassi for using a racial slur. He is leading the standings after 13 of 36 races and will start Sunday’s Indy 500 one place behind Rossi in fifth, before returning to NASCAR to race at Charlotte later the same day.
Asked whether Larson is as good as Verstappen, Rossi answered: “I would say they’re on the same level, which is like, yeah, that’s a pretty big deal.” Rossi raced in F1 during Verstappen’s first season with Toro Rosso (now RB) in 2015.
Haas customises car for Monaco
Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu is hopeful of a better performance by the team in Monaco this year as it has done more work than usual to prefer for the demands of the uniquely high-downforce, low-speed circuit.“I’m looking forward to Monaco because this year the team has worked pretty well in the wind tunnel to come up with the Monaco downforce level required, which is different from previous years,” he said. “In terms of consistency with the car, we seem to have better consistency, and obviously, in Monaco drivers need lots of confidence, they need to trust the car.
“One thing that remains to be seen is the balance of the car; in Monaco you can have too much understeer and then you won’t go quick, so that’s one of the issues with this year’s car, I think. We’re aware of it so we’ll try to get that balance right, and if we can do that, it might be a pretty interesting weekend.”
Ocon not expecting another podium
“Realistically, I do not think we can repeat the performance from last year, but we will give it our all to achieve the best result this weekend,” he said.
“Monaco is a track where the driver can really make a difference. If you feel comfortable in the car and the car is compliant and turns how you want, you can run close to the barriers and find extra time. That is what happened last year, where I felt good in the car already from the first practice session. I have very fond memories of this place, especially from the podium finish last year.”
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Perez ‘seeking two-year deal’
Sergio Perez is pushing Red Bull to agree to a two-year contract extension rather than a single season, Fox reports. His current deal expires at the end of this year.
BMW reveals 20th Le Mans Art Car
BMW revealed its 20th ‘Art Car’ livery for this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours. It was designed by artist Julie Mehretu.
“In the studio where I had the model of the BMW M Hybrid V8 I was just sitting in front of the painting and I thought ‘What would happen if this car seemed to go through that painting and becomes affected by it?’” she said. “The idea was to make a remix, a mash-up of the painting. I kept seeing that painting kind of dripping into the car. Even the kidneys of the car inhaled the painting.”
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Links
Motor racing links of interest:
'The six senators said they are “concerned” that F1 may be acting on behalf of other teams, “including foreign automakers,” to deny Andretti's bid to enter the sport in 2025 or 2026 even though its governing body, the FIA, approved its application.'
Las Vegas Grand Prix damages in ‘millions,’ Ellis Island attorney claims (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
'F1 is planning on holding its race every year for the next nine years, which will continue to cause Ellis Island significant economic losses in the future.'
Ferrari expects 'bigger' fight for Le Mans victory (Sportscar 365)
'While the 499P’s performance at Imola and Spa has given Ferrari confidence of a strong showing at Le Mans, Barbieri admitted that a proper assessment of Ferrari’s chances can’t be made until the Balance of Performance in Hypercar is known.'
Oman a good venue for Formula 4 circuit, says visiting FIA president (Times of Oman)
'The idea of a F4 circuit has to be sustainable and the government will be doing a feasibility study. I am for it as the most important aspect has to be that the model has to be a sustainable one.'
Paddock Buzz: Herta hustles Honda up speed chart (IndyCar)
'Herta said the lack of pace from Marcus Ericsson’s No. 28 Delaware Life Honda is down to his practice crash. 'Because he tubbed his car in practice,' Herta said. 'Had to roll out the back-up car and didn't have a lot of time to get up to speed, so that was the big problem. I think his first car had speed, and in the wind tunnel it was similar to mine, so I think he probably would have been right around where I was, maybe ahead or right behind. Then you have to go to the back-up tub and just kind of bolt on an underwing that you don't really know what it's going to do. It’s definitely a difficult situation. It's one I was in in '22 when I tubbed the car Friday on Carb Day and had to go into the race and could barely run 205. It's a difficult situation.''
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Social media
Notable posts from X (formerly Twitter), TikTok and more:
Any past racing cars McLaren's latest livery reminds you of?
How about a 1996 Forti FG01B, 1993 Benetton B193, 1989 Coloni FC188C… or A1GP Team Australia?#F1 pic.twitter.com/7N73y0uBk1
— RaceFans (@racefansdotnet) May 21, 2024
26 drivers select WHOLE, 5 drivers select 2% and 2 drivers select SKIM in this year's #Indy500 Milk Preference Poll.
Our two Indiana dairy farmer "Milk Presenters" will be ready with all 3 options on ice! #WinnersDrinkMilk // https://t.co/mPMIlqBxqb // @IMS pic.twitter.com/sP5gnrEwfL
— Indiana Dairy Assoc. (@INDairy) May 21, 2024
Attendance: @IMS just hosted its most-attended qualifying weekend for the Indianapolis 500 in over a decade with just under 90,000 fans across Saturday & Sunday.
The track hosted nearly 85,000 over the two days in 2023.
— Nathan Brown (@By_NathanBrown) May 19, 2024
Mega weekend @Brands_Hatch, winning in a Brabham on Brabham straight on the day 10 years ago when my father passed. This one’s for you dad 🙏 @GTCUP pic.twitter.com/Isn9900MGE
— David Brabham (@brabsracer) May 19, 2024
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- Find more official F1 accounts to follow in the F1 Twitter Directory
Comment of the day
Will Andretti’s hiring of Pat Symonds finally win them a place on the grid? Riccard is unsure:
Next year’s attack lines write themselves. “Andretti can’t join Formula 1 because it would have an unfair advantage over the established European manufacturer teams.””
“Plus, who’s heard of Andretti? Visa Cash App, now there’s a famous name in motorsport.”
Riccard
Happy birthday!
Happy birthday to Travis and Cristian!
On this day in motorsport
- 20 years ago today Vitantonio Liuzzi continued his perfect start to the Formula 3000 season by winning round three at Monte-Carlo, Monaco
Phil
22nd May 2024, 2:15
it would be great to see an American driver such as Kyle succeed in F1 and who knows maybe match what Max has done. But it’s unlikely, and the opinion of a former driver dropped by a back marker F1 team after 5 races isn’t really credible.
Jay
22nd May 2024, 2:48
Recent Indycar drivers, who actually drive road and street circuits, have looked foolish in F1. A NASCAR driver would look even worse in F1. On the level with Verstappen? Only in delusional minds!
SteveP
22nd May 2024, 8:03
Possibly a comparison with the 2015 Verstappen?
The one that found interesting ways to interact with other cars and the barriers. Not a great recommendation.
Asd
22nd May 2024, 8:43
Woah, which IndyCar drivers looked foolish? I’ve seen more F1 drivers look foolish in IndyCar in the last 15 years.
The two time F1 vice-champion, Rubens Barrichello, went to IndyCar, got the same car as everybody, and finished the season 12th.
Evans
22nd May 2024, 11:26
Ericsson, Rossi and Grosjean are doing very well in Indy despite not excelling in F1. Ericsson was actually one of the worst F1 drivers of the last decade
Alesici
22nd May 2024, 12:42
Last weekend Ericsson nearly failed to qualify for the biggest race of the year because he wasn’t able to count all the way up to 4, and backed off after his 3rd lap of his run. Now that was an ex F1 driver looking darned foolish in an Indycar. His team looked like they wanted to kill him.
pastaman
22nd May 2024, 13:22
“Doing very well”? You obviously do not watch Indycar. Ericsson has only done ok because he has been able to buy his way into running with the big teams.
Evans
22nd May 2024, 15:11
You all ignoring that he won Indy 500 and has been consistently top 6 in the last 3 years. How many other more experienced Indy drivers can boast that? He’s not the best driver but he is doing very well, better than most of the field. In F1 he was just about the worst backmarker we have had.
pastaman
22nd May 2024, 22:58
Are you saying if he were in a Red Bull he wouldn’t be in the top 6 in F1? He would.
MurasamaRA300 (@murasamara300)
23rd May 2024, 7:49
I think Ericsson has done very well in the Indycar series overall – enough to bet £1 on a top 3 finish at Indy from starting on the last row. :)
S
22nd May 2024, 10:38
Probably – but you never know.
To suggest that F1 drivers are somehow ‘better’ or more talented than drivers in others series would be the peak of foolishness.
How does Verstappen go in a NASCAR or Indycar? I’m willing to bet he wouldn’t be at the front every time like he is in F1.
One fun way to put that theory to the test, however, is an event like Race of Champions. Ironically (or not) F1 drivers tend to not want to put themselves on a level footing with drivers from other disciplines.
If you’ve ever watched it, you’ll know that rally drivers tend to come out on top more often than not – not F1 drivers.
Radoye
23rd May 2024, 0:50
Who are all those recent IndyCar drivers in F1 that looked foolish? Bourdais was the last to cross over that i’m aware of some 15 years ago, and granted he did not look very good. Before him there were Montoya and Villeneuve who did quite OK i dare say, but that’s ancient history already.
On the other hand, a certain 2x F1 WDC who is considered one of the all-time greats tried his hand at IndyCar more recently (last attempt 4 years ago) and all he has to show for it is a DNF, a DNQ and a 21st place finish – so should we use that as a measure for the F1 talent pool?
Jere (@jerejj)
22nd May 2024, 6:39
I agree with Phil & Jay above that claiming him to be on the same level is questionable, delusional, & lacks credibility, especially without solid comparability.
Maximum downforce level is always used for Monaco, though.
I still can’t wholly get my head around the Las Vegas GP damages matter, given no other city-based temporary circuit seems to have caused economic losses to companies operating in the relevant city.
Tristan
22nd May 2024, 7:52
There’s been lots of articles about it, the bridge they set up caused havoc on the local businesses. Some workers saying they had to drive an extra hour to and from work on what would normally be a 15 minute trip for months while they were setting it up. It also meant that businesses which usually had easy access to their shopfront had to provide instructions on how to get there, causing lost customers.
The big Vegas hotels called it a success for them, but it’s the small businesses that didn’t really get anything out of it.
Doesn’t help that the organisers promised to work with small businesses to minimise disruptions then basically left them in the lurch.
SteveP
22nd May 2024, 19:00
Monaco has businesses immediate track side that basically have to shut.
They found a way to deal with the annual invasion, but they have had quite a while to get used to it.
Asd
22nd May 2024, 8:56
We can easily suppose that Verstappen is on the level of Palou.
Although we can’t really tell how good Verstappen is, because he doesn’t compete in a drivers’ motorsport. The only driver he’s been competing against in the last 3 seasons is Sergio Perez. So we can only suppose he’s as good as Palou, who’s the best proven single seater driver right now.
Larson? He’s an elite oval track driver. That’s all we can say about him. He’s only been tested for that. When Nascar had a street track race in Chicago last year, he qualified 7th, a second behind the pole man.
————–
McLaren’s special Monaco livery is a pathetic display of ignorance as it shows they have no idea about F1’s history and assumed that Brazilian colours can only be and have to be automatically associated with Senna. Obviously that’s false.
Brazilian flag colours can only be associated with Senna if they are arranged in Senna’s helmet design. If not, they are just a random combination of colours that can be associated with either Brazil or anything else.
S
22nd May 2024, 10:41
I’d suggest he doesn’t have any need to compete with Perez at all – not necessarily because he’s faster or more consistent, but because the team don’t want that internal competition.
Even if Perez is faster, you won’t hear the team telling Verstappen to let him by.
ferrox glideh (@ferrox-glideh)
22nd May 2024, 16:51
You certainly seem to have strong opinions about everything here lately.
I disagree with all of them.
Alonslow
22nd May 2024, 17:16
C’mon this has to be a joke post, you can’t even pull the “he’s an american driver and doesn’t have to go to F3/F2” card like some people do with other indy drivers.
Palou was in GP3 way back then, in 2015, he got 51 points landing him 10th on the championship, Ocon won the championship with 253 points, both were Rookies, but hey at least he was the best 2014 euroformula driver and the best campos driver, and ended the season with a win, next year is his year.
2016, Palou got 22 points only 15th in the championship, in fact his teammate Schothorst got more points too, that season was won by another Rookie a certain Charles Leclerc at 202 points, runner up was a driver by the name of Alexander Albon (Hey a Max Verstappen teammate) at 177 points, but well Campos sucks maybe another team will pick the talent of Palou up? nope he went to Japan to “dominate” over there.
Well we arrive in 2018, now the category is called F3 a older more experienced and surely better Palou is back and ready to win it this time, Hitech is also better than Campos, well he got 7th this time with 202 points, the driver who won has to be some generational talent? nope it was Mick Schumacher with 365 points, the other drivers who beat Palou were Ticktum, Shwartzman, Vips, Armstrong and Aron, all Max Verstappen caliber drivers.
At this point Palou went to Japan for another round and eventually to Indy where he is great sure, but that’s not the career of a Max Verstappen clone that had bad luck, he’s just a big fish in a small pond, you can’t compare a young driver going in his peak hungry for success to some F1 rejects or old ass veterans joining in, put 2015 Max Verstappen in the Indy path and we would be seeing news about Verstappen indy dominance could bore fans.
Don
22nd May 2024, 13:49
I have never been a NASCAR fan, mainly IndyCar and F1. I must say after watching lots of practice on Peacock, the guy is amazing! What he’s doing as a rookie is really remarkable. He is obviously very skilled and has a amazing calm about it. Quite something.
greasemonkey
22nd May 2024, 22:17
Fans comparing drivers, especially F1 drivers, across series, tends to sound ridiculous. There seems to be a strong dose of vicarious conflation of favored league and drivers to self and others.
Whatever. Have fun with that. (And, yeah, in addition to posters here, Rossi himself is guilty of exactly this).