F1 returns to Mugello as Ferrari test Pirelli’s final current-spec tyres

In brief

Pirelli begin Mugello tyre test

Pirelli began their fifth in-season tyre test of the year at Mugello yesterday with Leclerc at the wheel of a Ferrari SF-24. The team will spend two days running at the track which held the one-off Tuscan Grand Prix in 2020.

Leclerc completed 120 laps of the circuit, just over two race distances’ worth. He tested hard tyre compounds which are planned for next season, which will be the last with using current specification before narrower rubber arrives in 2026.

The track, which features many medium and high-speed corners, was chosen to assess whether Pirelli’s latest prototypes have successfully reduced overheating as intended. However rain in the afternoon turned their attention to testing intermediate tyres instead.

Carlos Sainz Jnr will take over the car today.

Sauber announce new CCO

The Sauber F1 team has announced Stefano Battiston has joined the team as its chief commercial officer ahead of their transition into the factory Audi team in 2026.

Battiston was previously head of marketing for Alfa Romeo in F1, before becoming the commercial director for Audi’s entry into Formula 1.

“Audi’s position on the global stage is solid and impressive, and I’m both delighted and determined in equal measure to drive this project forward,” he said. “We are forming a new team with a mission of becoming a pioneering platform for brands, opening the door to a culture that will transcend traditional partnerships and customer engagement. Audi’s entry into Formula One is the pinnacle of their highly successful history in motorsport, and I’m grateful for this opportunity and challenge.”

Ex-F1 CEO Carey subpoenaed in Fox probe

Former Formula 1 CEO Chase Carey is back in the headlines. He and three fellow directors of the Fox Corporation have been subpoenaed by voting technology company Smartmatic which has brought a defamation lawsuit against Fox News.

The company is seeking $2.7 billion (£2.12bn) in damages over Fox’s coverage of the 2020 US presidential election and promotion of debunked conspiracy theories regarding voting systems and the result. Last year Fox paid $787.5 million to another voting company, Dominion Voting Systems, which claimed to have proof the company’s executives were aware the election claims were false but did not correct their coverage.

Links

Motor racing links of interest:

Mick Schumacher on F1 exile: ‘It has been a draining few years’ (Independent)

'You get this cake presented to you which is really good, but you’re not allowed to eat it. And you have to watch everybody else eat it. So it’s tough, for sure, but I know why I’m doing it.''

Antonelli on the moments that made him (F2)

'I would also say that another special moment was my first time in an F1 car, it was a dream come true. Even though it's not my ultimate dream, but just to get the opportunity to jump in an F1 car was an amazing moment and to feel the car underneath me overall was just amazing.

The H24EVO is revealed in hydrogen village at Le Mans (FIA WEC)

'The objective we have set for ourselves is for the H24EVO to be the first FIA-homologated electric-hydrogen prototype and for it to present a level of performance equivalent to the best GT3s. To do this, we must integrate the latest technologies to have the necessary power. I would like to take this opportunity to salute Symbio’s very strong involvement in the H24EVO programme.'

Liberty Global to acquire Formula E stake from Warner Bros. Discovery (Formula E)

'Formula E has today announced that Liberty Global Ltd is to acquire shares held by Warner Bros. Discovery in the all-electric racing series. The acquisition of shares held by Warner Bros. Discovery will, on completion, bring Liberty Global’s total share of ownership in Formula E to 65% and mean that Liberty Global will take a controlling interest in the world’s fastest growing motorsport.'

Inside the FIA's Approach to Torque Sensors (Racecar Engineering)

'An example of the torque sensor doing its job occurred in the recent WEC round at Imola, where some cars registered spikes in torque as they jumped over the high kerbs. Multiple manufacturers are known to be operating under the power curve with a degree of cushion, to ensure these spikes don’t go over the curve and lead to penalties. None of them are willing to divulge how far under they are, although it varies from track to track.'

Drivers rolling with intriguing changes of new hybrid (IndyCar)

Marcus Ericsson: ''I think the drivers that have a lot of brain capacity are going to be the ones that come out on top. Because even here (Milwaukee) and on short ovals you have obviously your weight jacker up, front and rear roll bar to play with, and now we have the hybrid unit and different settings on that and deploy and regenerate. A lot of things going on behind the wheel, and to do all that with tire wear with cars side by side with you, it's going be tough. It’s going to be tricky.''

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Social media

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

F1 meets WEC 🤩

Supporting the #35 @SignatechAlpine car during Hyperpole 🙌 pic.twitter.com/x6FlsGHp6N

— BWT Alpine F1 Team (@AlpineF1Team) June 13, 2024

Get yourself an F1 driver who can do both. 😉🏏 @OscarPiastri @TailendersPod pic.twitter.com/wAphfr56fo

— McLaren (@McLarenF1) June 13, 2024

Deleting a driver's fastest one-or-two laps if they cause a red flag in qualifying, to discourage 'Rascassegate'-type moves, makes sense.

But wiping all their times, as with Kobayashi, is overkill, especially in #WEC where qualifying position is far less critical than in #F1.

— Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine) June 13, 2024

On today's INDYCAR news:

"We are very proud of our contributions to the growth of INDYCAR over the past 16 seasons, generating record viewership, unprecedented promotion, and best-in-class production. We want to thank the drivers, teams, and owners for their partnership, and we…

— NBC Sports PR (@NBCSportsPR) June 13, 2024

The TV rights deal between @IndyCar and @FOXSports is a fantastic step forward for the series. Making every 2025 race available for fans to tune in is a game-changer that will bring greater exposure to the race series and @ArrowMcLaren, bringing new fans to the sport and existing… pic.twitter.com/v5NlNS5d3s

— Zak Brown (@ZBrownCEO) June 13, 2024

|@danielricciardo replies to @alex_albon after his two-for-one pass… #F1 #CanadianGP pic.twitter.com/T20ZMol3Ra

— RaceFans (@racefansdotnet) June 13, 2024

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

Comment of the day

With the FIA claiming it wanted narrower tyres for the next generation of F1’s rules in 2026, Asd argues that is what the sport needed…

What we need is just less aero grip, period.

Because the ‘balance’ that is talked about here, is not the balance between how much grip is being given by each of those two types of grip, but the balance between how strongly each type of grip affects the car.

Imagine we narrowed F1 tyres to just 2cm – the width of a road bike’s tyre – so that the cars had barely any mechanical grip at all and they were sliding as if driving on ice. Meaning we lowered the grip, yes, but we exponentially increased the impact of mechanical grip (in this case it being very low) on how the cars drove and behaved on the asphalt.

With grip being so low, the impact of aero (slipstream, turbulent air etc) would be lessened to almost being irrelevant. And this is exactly what happens in the rain – mechanical grip is very low, making it a much more significant factor impacting car’s behaviour than aero grip. And the cars are able to overtake each other. Why? Because having grip in turns and corners or not is mostly dependable on gaining or losing mechanical grip.

F1 needs narrower tyres for better overtaking.
Asd

Happy birthday!

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On this day in motorsport

• 60 years ago today Jim Clark scored a remarkable win in the Belgian Grand Prix as Dan Gurney, Graham Hill and Bruce McLaren ahead of him all hit trouble in the last two laps.