New surface at Montreal track shouldn’t change grip levels – Pirelli

In brief

Pirelli confident Montreal remains low-grip

Pirelli expects the new track surface won’t cause a significant change in grip levels. F1 has experienced poor races at some circuits after they were resurfaced, but Montreal offered low grip levels to begin with and Pirelli says is unlikely to have changed.

The entire track has been resurfaced since last year’s event in order to adhere to FIA standards. In their pre-event preview, Pirelli said “on paper, the track’s existing characteristics of low abrasiveness – and therefore reduced grip – should remain the same”.

However, they stressed that they could not be sure until their engineers get their first opportunity to examine the new surface tomorrow.

Indy 500 ordeal ‘aged me five years’ – Ericsson

Marcus Ericsson said he had to do a “reset” after his poor showing in this year’s Indianapolis 500. The 2022 race winner and 2023 runner-up crashed in practice this year, narrowly qualified for the race then retired in a crash at the first corner when Tom Blomqvist spun in front of him,

“We went through an extremely tough month of May,” said Ericsson, who rebounded with a second place finish in Detroit last weekend. “I think we went through everything that month of May. Felt like I aged probably five years during that month.”

“We just had to do a reset. We had to believe in what we’re doing. You can either lie down and feel sorry for yourself or you get up and you work hard and you prepare yourself and you try and dig deep and go and deliver.

“That’s what we decided in the [car number] 28 group, we were going to go to Detroit, do a good weekend, get our season back on track. That was the chat. We had a lot of work put in this week leading up to this race. I’m happy it paid off.”

Lola commit to Formula E ‘Gen4’

As well as joining Formula E from the 2025 season under its ‘Gen3’ regulations, Lola have announced they have committed to the all-electric world championship for its next generation.

The Gen4 Formula E cars are intended to almost double their power output to 600kW and enter into use for the 2027 season.

“We are excited to be confirming our commitment to Gen4,” said Lola’s motorsport director Mark Preston. “Formula E is an ideal platform for powertrain and software development that we can use for broader motorsport and automotive applications. We feel the opportunity for innovation in this series will only increase as the performance of the cars and technology develops, giving greater scope to develop innovative technologies across global motorsport and in the broader zero emissions transportation space.

Links

Motor racing links of interest:

Driver 'attack' and staff suddenly quitting - Ryan Reynolds' F1 disasters this season (Mirror)

'Adding onto its mounting troubles, Alpine was forced to dismiss claims in recent weeks that the team had been put up for sale following an appalling start to the campaign. It was claimed that The Renault Group, the majority shareholder of the team, were unhappy with Alpine's recent performances and keen to cut them loose.'

Der Trick mit dem absenkenden Heck (Auto Motor und Sport - German)

'Red Bull's rivals Ferrari, Mercedes, Haas and RB are believed to have developed their own versions of Red Bull's rear ride height management which allows them to lower their rear ride heights on straights, stalling the airflow beneath it and improving their top speed.'

Canadian Grand Prix: A history of Canada's lone F1 stop (TSN)

'A push began in the late 1960s to move the race to Toronto’s Exhibition Place and by 1978 the wheels were firmly in motion. The city’s Lakeshore Boulevard would be part of the track with Exhibition Stadium – the home of the expansion MLB team Toronto Blue Jays – seating tens of thousands for a potential pit lane view. Labatt convinced F1 Constructors’ Association leadership that more money could be made in Toronto and the matter went to a city council ballot, where it was rejected by two votes.'

How Williams’ new commercial strategy is winning over sponsors (Blackbook Motorsport)

''Williams is one of the most popular teams in the sport as a function of having been in the sport for over 45 years. And also, Williams has a very distinct brand equity. When people think about Williams, they think about things that are slightly different to other teams. When we look at F1 Fan Voice, Williams is either number one or very highly ranked for things like trustworthiness, independence, honesty, bravery – these things are really valuable.''

Anthony Davidson learns about rear facing cameras in FIA WEC (FIA via YouTube)

'Anthony Davidson dives into the fascinating world of the FIA World Endurance Championship, focussing especially on a tiny detail in cars. A detail that makes a big difference: rear facing cameras.'

Every Dream Matters - Iron Dames Le Mans 2024 livery reveal (Iron Dames via YouTube)

Iron Dames have unveiled an AI-generated livery for the Le Mans 24 Hours later this month, inspired by contributions from children.

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:

2021 Hungary 🥇
2020 Sakhir 🥈
2023 Monaco 🥉

Here’s to continuing to push for the remainder of the season 💪

Merci pour tout, Esteban 💙 pic.twitter.com/Xz28278DUu

— BWT Alpine F1 Team (@AlpineF1Team) June 3, 2024

Time for a lunch and learn session with some special guests! 💚

This afternoon, @RacingPrideHQ hosted a panel in our breakout area complete with #PrideMonth themed snacks and key speakers including @1JessicaHawkins and Trans Karting Champion Jessica Alexander.

Our panellists… pic.twitter.com/q0B4ZItKeF

— Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team (@AstonMartinF1) June 3, 2024

I’m sad I received so much hate and death threats in the last 24 hours for such a small incident in the Detroit GP.

I hope people can understand that we are all humans and we can make mistakes. But it’s not normal to abuse people online..

Please be kind to each other 🙏🏻🫶🏻 https://t.co/JWKU2IYEFF

— Théo Pourchaire (@TPourchaire) June 3, 2024

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

Comment of the day

With Esteban Ocon confirming he will leave Alpine at the end of the 2024 season, Phil Norman considers the 27-year-old’s options…

I cannot see Mercedes appointing Ocon. I don’t think he’s good enough really and it has not been rumoured. I have heard suggestions of Audi/Sauber, so maybe the incident with Pierre Gasly has brought the contract issue to a head and decisions have been made. I think it will be them, possibly Williams or an exit from F1 altogether.
Phil Norman

Happy birthday!

Happy birthday to Nathan Bradley, Alexf1Man and Sam Lotay!

On this day in motorsport

• 35 years ago today Alain Prost won F1’s first race on the streets of Phoenix ahead of Ricciardo Patrese and Phoenix native Eddie Cheever