Verstappen avoids penalty after pit lane rules misunderstanding

In brief

Verstappen cleared over pit lane error

Verstappen was investigated for potentially breaking the rule which governs how cars join the fast lane of the pits as they prepare to join the track during a session.

Red Bull told the stewards “they assumed car one [Verstappen] had crossed the solid white line separating the fast lane from the working lane when it was released from the garage and therefore followed the procedure outlined in article 34.8 to leave the pit lane in the order the cars arrived there.”

However the stewards pointed out the team was mistaken. “This assumption was inaccurate as no wheel of Car 1 had crossed the solid white line separating the fast lane from the working lane.”

Nonetheless the stewards were satisfied that Verstappen joined the fast lane of the pits as required and without impeding other cars, so took no action against him. He will start today’s race from second on the grid.

Sixth ‘the first step to recovery’ – Alonso

“It’s been a good weekend so far for us – a good Friday – and then today, a little bit more competitive than the last two events,” Alonso told the official F1 channel.

“I think we are understanding for sure a lot of things with the car. This is hopefully the first step in our recovery plan.”

Although he has “a much better starting position than the last two events,” Alonso said the team must remain sharp in what could be a rain-affected race. “If it does rain, if you stop one lap too late or one lap too soon for the wrong tyres, that means your race is over. So we have to keep very, very focused tomorrow.”

Ferrari’s Taponen wins in FREC

Ferrari Academy Driver Tuukka Taponen secured his maiden victory in the Formula Regional European Championship in the first of two races this weekend at Zandvoort.

Former Ferrari junior James Wharton spun out of the lead in wet conditions under pressure from Taponen. Rafael Camara then challenged his fellow Ferrari junior but Taponen held on to win.

Camara leads the series with 111 points, over twice that of Taponen in second. Taponen won the Formula Regional Middle East Championship held earlier this year.

Chadwick secures first Indy Nxt pole

Williams junior Jamie Chadwick secured her first pole position in Indy Nxt at Road America.

Chadwick set the best time of a 1’51.033 in group qualifying to just beat championship contender Louis Foster, who was quickest in the other group, by less than a tenth of a second.

Chadwick secured her first podium in the series in a race at the Indianapolis road course.

Links

Motor racing links of interest:

Bearman will join Haas in 2025 (Daily Mail)

'The 19-year-old from Essex has secretly signed a deal that will make him the fourth British driver on the grid, alongside Lewis Hamilton, George Russell and Lando Norris – though the new boy will earn a pittance compared to those more established names. While Hamilton is paid £50million-plus by Mercedes, approximately equalling the fortune reaped by reigning world champion Max Verstappen at Red Bull, Bearman is expected to sign for between £250,000 and £300,000.'

Villeneuve brutally tears apart Ricciardo’s career: ‘Why is he still in F1?’ (Independent)

''Why is he still in F1? We’re hearing the same thing for the last five years. We have to ‘make the car better for him, poor him’, no. You’re in F1. Maybe you make that effort for Lewis Hamilton, who has won multiple championships. You don’t make that effort for a driver that can’t cut it.''

Get ready for what's looking like a wet Canadian Grand Prix (Montreal Gazette)

'If you’re headed to Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on Sunday, the Canadian Grand Prix website notes that umbrellas are accepted, but cannot be opened when seated in a grandstand.'

Hamilton has run-in with Canadian GP security guard who asked him for ID (Mirror)

'In Montreal Hamilton proved that even the sport's most famous faces aren't universally known. Footage shared on social media showed him on a scooter moving through the paddock when a staff member asked him to show his identity pass.'

QMA nurturing next generation of Qatari drivers (Gulf Times)

'The talented quartet – Khalid al-Muftah, aged 20, Bader al-Sulaiti aged 16, Taha Hassiba, aged 15 and his younger brother Tamim, 14 – who all cut their teeth in karting at QMA, were able to road test their skills at LIC as part of the FIA F4 Saudi Arabia Championship, a single-make junior drivers’ programme where cars are powered by 1,600cc engines which boast up to 160 brake horsepower.
QMA, which has been based at the state-of-the-art Lusail International Circuit since 2018, aims to develop home-grown young talent providing drivers with a hub where they can begin to ascend through the ranks of the motorsport ladder.'

WEC: What is Balance of Performance? (FIA)

'The 24 Hours of Le Mans Hypercar BoP differs in that it takes account of data from the previous year’s race, so there is not necessarily a direct link with the BoP published for the Six Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, for instance. For 2024, the analyses conducted by the FIA and the ACO and the restrictive nature of the applicable technical regulations have meant that BoP has been kept to a minimum. Only 'homologation parameters' have been corrected based on measured data. Weight and power adjustments have been adapted on this basis to the Le Mans circuit, but no platform equivalence or manufacturer compensation have been applied. The merits of each constructor will therefore be appreciated at their just value.'

Newgarden okay after pounding wall in vicious qualifying crash (IndyCar via YouTube)

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Social media

Notable posts from X (formerly Twitter), TikTok and more:

"We'll go and get them tomorrow." 👊#CanadianGP 🇨🇦 https://t.co/HVaXZVFF6R pic.twitter.com/FXiIdV7FA2

— McLaren (@McLarenF1) June 8, 2024

Back-to-back Q3 appearances! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/fCql5t6HJj

— Williams Racing (@WilliamsRacing) June 8, 2024

Imola: Perez out in Q2

Horner: "He has had a much better start to this year, bar this weekend, which has been an anomaly."

Monaco: Perez out in Q1

Red Bull give him a new two-year contract.

Montreal: Perez out in Q1#F1 #CanadianGP #RaceFans

— Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine) June 8, 2024

MAJOR CONTACT ‼️

Ethan Ho slams into Mac Clark on the opening lap of Race 2 here at Road America 🫣

Both drivers are okay — as always, grateful for the AMR Safety Team and the Tatuus chassis 🙏 pic.twitter.com/0TlTaQoU5u

— USF Pro 2000 (@USFPro2000) June 8, 2024

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

Comment of the day

A thrilling qualifying session leaves Riccard salivating over what could happen in today’s race…

The race is set up wonderfully:

– Two cars on front row with exactly the same pace
– Will Verstappen be attacking, or defending? McLarens looked faster…
– Can Hamilton cut through the field? Alonso and Ricciardo should both be slower than him, and he’s been quick all weekend (apart from the two laps that counted)
– The Ferraris got too cute in qualifying trying to save tyres, but their pace was better than 11th and 12th.

Loads of drivers poised to attack, move forward. It should be tension up and down the grid. And we have a decent chance of our fifth winner in nine races.

Drivers, start your engines!
Riccard

Happy birthday!

Happy birthday to Stevo and Ricardo Marques!

On this day in motorsport

• Five years ago today Lewis Hamilton won the Canadian Grand Prix after Sebastian Vettel was given a penalty for unsafely rejoining the track in front of him