In the round-up: Kevin Magnussen says a sprint race could be a worthwhile addition to the Monaco Grand Prix weekend.
In brief
Sprint race could suit “weird” Monaco event – Magnussen
Although some supporters of sprint races have said the format wouldn’t be suitable in Monaco, where overtaking is almost impossible, Magnussen believes it could enhance the weekend.
“We know there’s no overtaking in the race so it does feel now with all these other races where overtaking is pretty good and racing is pretty good, that it is a bit of a weird one because there’s so little,” he said. “Maybe there could be more qualifying sessions or a sprint [race] to throw a curveball.”
The Haas driver said the circuit is one of his favourites. “It’s the best track on the calendar to drive, it’s just phenomenal on these little tight streets with walls everywhere,” he said. “The feeling of driving a Formula 1 car in Monaco, to me, is the best of the year.”
Amid speculation over its future on the calendar, Monaco recently signed a short extension to its F1 contract. Magnussen hopes F1 never drops the historic circuit. “The Monaco Grand Prix is a part of the triple crown, it’s one of those races where if you win that, it’s extra special,” he said. “Having driven around there it’s so special, so I hope it stays on the calendar.”
Newey not set on Ferrari – Jordan
Reports Red Bull chief technical officer Adrian Newey has decided to join McLaren have been denied by his manager Eddie Jordan.“Speaking as someone who should know, and I’m not giving any information away other than I can tell you at no stage, at no stage is any this kind of discussion happening,” he told Formula For Success. “There will be talks and there is going to be ongoing talks, because we have yet to decide what Adrian himself wants to do.”
Jordan suggested Newey will want to spent some time with his family before committing to another F1 team. “He’s been at this since coming straight from his dream to be an engineer at university and Leyton House and Williams, McLaren now Red Bull.
“Jesus, the guy is 60-something, he’s getting a new boat, I would have said that equally alongside all of those potential teams that we’re talking about. the fifth team he should be thinking about is himself. Himself and Amanda. They’ve got a wonderful home in Cape Town. We see a lot of them. They’re great, great friends. I have no idea. And let us be very clear. It’ll always be Adrian’s decision. And so it should be. But there is no clear call.”
Leclerc’s car passes extra checks
Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari was selected at random for extra physical checks after he finished third in the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix. The inspection covered the suspension, dampers, sensors and associated electronics, all of which were found to comply with the regulations.
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No more Formula 3 at Macau Grand Prix
“Bringing Formula Regional cars to Macau for the FIA World Cup is a natural consequence of the evolution of the junior single-seater landscape over the last couple of years and is a logical step in the pyramid,” said the FIA’s single-seater strategy and operations director Francois Sicard.
“Macau’s Formula 3 race has built its legendary reputation as an event that gathered the best junior racers from national series around the world at what is the world’s most challenging street circuit. A move to Formula Regional machinery very much revives that spirit and is an optimal long-term solution for the FIA-sanctioned single-seater competition in Macau.”
F3 cars returned to Macau last year for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic and attracted several Formula 2 drivers to appear in the race. Luke Browning won, joining past F3 winners including Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher.
Hedley standing in for Zagazeta
GB3 racer James Hedley will make his Formula 3 debut for Jenzer as a substitute for Matias Zagazeta in Monaco this weekend. Zagazeta is unable to race having recently undergone an emergency operation for appendicitis.
Hedley won the Ginetta Junior championship in 2019, then twice finished fifth in the British Formula 4 championship with four wins, and came sixth in GB3 last year.
“I got a phone call yesterday at 4pm and it’s happening,” said Hedley. “I am racing FIA F3 at Monaco.”
“There’s no time for sim preparation but I will focus on the drive and give it everything,” he added. Thank you to everyone helping me get to Monaco.”
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Links
Motor racing links of interest:
Max-Faktor entscheidend in Imola (Speed Week - German)
Helmut Marko: 'This is part of a series of excellent performances from Yuki, with the exception of China, he delivered every weekend. He almost doesn't make any mistakes anymore, he's focused, he works well with the engineers.'
'As I said I'm very happy with the reaction of the team after the very difficult start of the season. I haven't seen anybody down, really. Again, one of the good points is how the team kept pushing, convinced that we couldn't stay there, and that we had to fight. That is not our position, it's not where we should be.'
Interview: Vasseur’s mission to transform Ferrari (Goodwood)
'I'm less affected by the bad side of the pressure. I'm not impacted by the Italian press. I have less of a connection with the Latin aspect of the team, for sure. I'm more focused on what I'm doing, on the team than on the talk. This, I think, in the end, is an advantage.'
McLaren considering Kanaan, Siegel as possible Indy 500 subs for Larson (Racer)
'If it were to rain on Sunday, but dry enough for the race to start after Larson needed to leave, Kanaan would be cleared to drive after a refresher is completed. If rain were to delay the 500 until the day after the Charlotte NASCAR race, the team and Larson would need to decide how they wanted to proceed.'
Young female drivers take aim at F1's male monopoly (Reuters)
'A lot of people seem to think for some reason that the females aren't physically capable of getting to Formula One. I've had some really good chats with females that are involved with the RAF (Royal Air Force) and the G-forces that they pull (are) more than the G-forces that they pull in an F1 car.'
Peugeot: We need wins soon to justify 9X8 programme (Sportscar 365)
'While manufacturers are forbidden from directly commenting on the (Balance of Performance) by the WEC’s sporting regulations, the Frenchman made it clear he felt Peugeot would be capable of contending at the front of the field with the weight and power it had last season.'
Roland Ratzenberger docuseries episode 1: The early years (Levay Film Production - YouTube)
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:
Next? We’ll see you on track. 😏 @okx #Senna30 #SennaSempre #MonacoGP pic.twitter.com/htWyn1GlUw
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) May 22, 2024
IMS president Doug Boles says last year’s Indy 500 attendance was 330,000 and they sold 15,000 more and expect 345,000 on Sunday.
— Marshall Pruett (@marshallpruett) May 22, 2024
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- Find more official F1 accounts to follow in the F1 Twitter Directory
Comment of the day
Alan Dove makes the case for keeping Monaco on the F1 calendar:
Valuing F1 races on their nature misunderstands the value of F1, or any sport really. Almost all F1 races are ‘poor’ when looked at rationally. But that’s not why F1 is compelling to a viewer, this is demonstrably factual. Monaco is compelling because qualifying is everything, almost. That’s what makes it unique, apart from the circuit itself, which is very special. It’s pretty basic behaviourally psychology, but Monaco is special, because it’s special.
Just look at the publicity surrounding Senna at the moment. It’s focused on him being the ‘master of Monaco’. No other track really warrants ‘masters of’ treatment. It’s this ‘irrational’ or ‘ethereal’ quality is what creates the value of F1.
F1 would be making a huge error to move away from Monaco, and as I said, it’d leave a gaping hole in the market that some investors with sovereign wealth funds could exploit very easily.
Alan Dove
Happy birthday!
Happy birthday to Emmet!
On this day in motorsport
- 20 years ago today Jarno Trulli scored his only Formula 1 victory in the Monaco Grand Prix, for Renault
Tristan
23rd May 2024, 1:45
I remember Hamilton suggesting Monaco switch to sprint races (among other ideas for mixing up the races format) before sprints existed, so it’s hardly a new idea.
As for the cotd and prestige and heritage etc… There is the Historic Grand Prix of Monaco event which was amazing to watch, it’s all on youtube (I was made aware of it thanks to the round up here) and was hands down, without a doubt, a more entertaining event than any of the last decades F1 races there.
Alan Dove
23rd May 2024, 8:31
The Monaco Historic wasn’t/isn’t more entertaining. How entertained, or captivated, people are is dependent on emotional investment first, the quality of the racing is secondary. I love the Monaco Historic GP don’t get me wrong, but the sparse stands tell their own story. By ‘entertained’, I mean that by which can be measured in viewing numbers, attendance and ticket prices, I want to remove the subjectivity somewhat from the term. Entertaining racing is WAY more than just some close-racing.
Motorsport promoters get this wrong time and time again. You have to embue value on the racing for it to be truly entertaining. At an individual level, sure value can be created if you happen to know someone who is racing, but at a level that compels a LOT of people to watch then you have to consider the bigger picture. It’s why BTCC is starting to fall off the radar. They focused on the wrong thing.
Asd
23rd May 2024, 14:19
The Monaco historic IS much more entertaining than F1 GP!!!! In several classes there were fantastic battles and overtaking and there was overtaking in every single class, including the fastest group: 1981-1985 F1 cars!
S
23rd May 2024, 12:38
Yeah, I pick the historics and even FE over F1 at Monaco.
If F1 can still afford to hold an event at a cut price fee, I’d much prefer they hold it somewhere else – somewhere that F1 cars can be driven like racing cars, preferably. I grew out of slot cars a long time ago…
frood19 (@frood19)
23rd May 2024, 6:20
Can anyone else not login? I’ve paid for the year but the website just doesn’t let me login. I’ve changed the password but it still doesn’t work.
frood19 (@frood19)
23rd May 2024, 6:21
Ah, so weird! As soon as I posted that it logged me in but if I go back to the home page I’m logged out and stuck in advert world.
Nulla Pax (@nullapax)
23rd May 2024, 9:57
I can’t log in at all but I’m seeing if it will let me post!
Nulla Pax (@nullapax)
23rd May 2024, 9:58
WHOA – it posted and now I am logged in.
Something somewhere is a bit wonky folks ;)
Ben (@1nkling)
23rd May 2024, 13:30
I’ve been trying for days to log in. Have cleared all my cookies etc. Sick of the adverts I paid not to see.
Whats going on @keithcollantine ?
Jere (@jerejj)
23rd May 2024, 7:10
Good to know I’m not the only one, but at least posting is also possible by filling merely username & email.
Neil (@neilosjames)
23rd May 2024, 8:18
Yeah, I’ve been having the same issue for a few days, tried on a couple of browsers but doesn’t work on any.
@keithcollantine do you know what might be causing it?
MacLeod (@macleod)
23rd May 2024, 8:26
Same for me I thought it was me who did something wrong I send a e-mail to investigate the problem.
I hope this is solved fast.
Gilles Amon (@gillesamon)
23rd May 2024, 9:30
Same here.
Euro Brun (@eurobrun)
23rd May 2024, 10:55
I’ve not posted in weeks because of this fault. I thought it was just my phone, but now you’ve told me the trick, I’m back…
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
23rd May 2024, 12:10
For me the problem started much more recently than you, only about 3 days ago.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
23rd May 2024, 12:07
I’m also having the same issue, I just can’t log, or better yet, it says correct password and username and then it still shows the page as if I’m logged off.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
23rd May 2024, 12:08
Oh, very strange, now that I posted it says I’m logged in, I basically had to put in the username (even got it wrong) and email and it posted with the right name.
Fer no.65
23rd May 2024, 12:08
It started with frequent crashes and errors. I thought it was my browser, cleaned all the cookies, but nothing. Now it’s also the log in.
I also wonder why the notifications stopped working too. You used to be able to tag someone in a post, but it’s been months since that doesn’t work (for me at least).
Phil Norman (@phil-f1-21)
23rd May 2024, 14:45
I cannot login on my laptop either. I cannot post either.
I have tried using Chrome or the Office one but neither work. It just tells me You have crashed.
I can do both on my iPhone. Been like it for maybe 8/9 days.
Clay (@clayt)
23rd May 2024, 21:32
The site was down earlier this week.
I’m guessing they messed with it and messed it up.
I go through the login process but it doesn’t log me in.
Clay (@clayt)
23rd May 2024, 21:36
As others have noted, I’m logged in after replying to this thread.
I did not fill in the required name and email fields when I posted the above reply.
Jere (@jerejj)
23rd May 2024, 7:11
Sprint would be okay, but having a time trial session would be even better.
An Sionnach
23rd May 2024, 8:29
Interesting idea. I’m not sure abut a sprint there, though. An extended qualifying session might be better. Two qualifying sessions like back in the day, a morning warm-up and then the “race”. Give them the best chance of crashing the car before that starts!
SteveP
23rd May 2024, 7:37
Given a combination of this from COTD:
and this from Magnussen:
then perhaps Monaco could be a sprint only.
Then all the sprint haters could have a weekend off to potter around the garden or repot and clean the plastic houseplants.
Fer no.65
23rd May 2024, 7:42
That’s probably the worst idea for Monaco, a place where a tiny mistake can ruin the whole weekend and there’s no room to overtake.
We’d have a slow procession in the sprint, just waiting for the laps to tick down so they can get into saturday qualifying safely.
ludewig
23rd May 2024, 8:44
The comparison to the RAF is interesting, because there is a discrimination policy in the RAF where they seek a certain percentage of female workers. When there is a policy that promotes certain people not by merit, but due to politics, then you can’t use that as evidence that that group is of equal quality.
AlexS
23rd May 2024, 10:47
Precisely
SteveP
23rd May 2024, 11:43
As with all large organisations, and I work for one, the policy actually reads that when all other things are equal then the positive discrimination element comes into play.
Now there you, unfortunately, slip into implying nefarious motives. The policies are there to promote, not to enforce.
When there is a policy that promotes certain people not by merit, but due to politics
SteveP
23rd May 2024, 11:44
Weird echo of the quote there…
ludewig
23rd May 2024, 19:06
@SteveP
Good try, but the head of the RAF has admitted that men were discriminated against, after a female recruitment officer resigned as she didn’t want to break the law.
But this kind of dishonesty is typical for people who believe in a certain ideology. It’s amazing how often they will tell outright falsehoods. Right, SteveP?
MichaelN
23rd May 2024, 9:36
The problem in regards to F1 isn’t one of capability but of scarcity. To be in F1, you need to be among the roughly five best single seater juniors in any given year, and when towards the back of that group, have serious financial backing. That gets you a chance. It’s still no guarantee. Everything else might as well not be there.
While the FIA and others are promoting female participation, and rightly so, it shouldn’t be forgotten that almost none of the men in F2 (!) makes it to F1 either.
John Beak (@johnbeak)
23rd May 2024, 10:33
Magnussen has a point. Sprint at Monaco would present more opportunities to hold up the pack.
AlexS
23rd May 2024, 10:59
That is a news that don’t says the reason for the news…
Retired (@jeff1s)
23rd May 2024, 12:12
What a sad news F3 won’t ever race in Macau, it was the jewel of the season for these cars. No more Pau GP, no more Macau, that hits hard.
Asd
23rd May 2024, 14:22
I truly don’t understand how and why Formula Regional is considered to be doing something that apparently F3 is not doing any more. F3 needs it crowning event. Formula Reg. is too low in the hierarchy to matter.
Roger Ayles (@roger-ayles)
23rd May 2024, 14:32
The Monaco GP should remain the Monaco GP and not be replaced by a sprint or any sort of silly time trial style event.
The beauty of the Monaco GP is drivers having to race for 90+ minutes, Maintaining concentration, Staying off the walls & not making any mistake given there is more of a penalty at Monaco than most other circuits.
A short sprint or some sort of time trial would lose that & at that point it’s no longer the Monaco GP.
The only change needed is better tyres that allow drivers to push harder for more of the race rather than driving slow to manage them. That’s been the only issue with Monaco in the Pirelli era, The inability for drivers to push hard takes away some of the challenge & some of the risk of mistakes because they are nowhere near the limits.
But then this isn’t an issue solely with Monaco, I mean look at Imola last weekend and how Norris having the ability to push hard late on with Max having to respond with some great shots of Norris sliding around a bit on the limit added to the spectacle & excitement. Imagine something like that at Monaco again where how hard the drivers are able to push & how much the cars are moving around a bit as a result makes mistakes more of a risk & creates a far better spectacle over the 78 laps.
Red Andy (@red-andy)
23rd May 2024, 17:34
I think the problem with Monaco (and Imola, since you mention it) is with the cars, not the circuit. The cars are too big and cumbersome to race there properly. But then that’s true of virtually every track – there’s basically nowhere on the calendar that guarantees a good race, and the more modern circuits generate overtaking almost exclusively using extra-long straights and DRS assistance, which is not terribly interesting to anyone.
While there is an aspiration to cut car dimensions and weights in the latest set of regulation changes, it probably won’t be anywhere near enough. The cars need to be smaller, and all of a sudden we won’t need to have conversations about how to “fix” the circuits.
Pedro Henrique Fernandes Carneiro
27th May 2024, 23:31
I don’t think there should be a sprint at Monte Carlo of all places, Magnussen. What a pity that Formula 3 is no longer going to host the Macau Gp
So, just because the G-forces they sustain in the Royal Air Force are higher than those in Formula One, she thinks that women can physically compete with men?