In the round-up: Franco Colapinto admits he is at a disadvantage running old specification parts on his Williams after damaging his car at the last round.
In brief
Colapinto in “difficult position” with old Williams suspension
Colapinto, who is running Williams’ old specification suspension on this weekend, was eliminated slowest from sprint qualifying. He said not having the latest parts has put him at a disadvantage.
“For sure there are always areas to improve the lap time and there are always places we can find some little bit of the [performance] gap we have,” Colapinto said.
“But I think we are still in a bit of a difficult position with the car and with the parts we have. I think there are things to work on, but not super-promising at the moment I think.”
Formula E agrees free-to-air ITV deal
Formula E will return to free-to-air television in the UK for the upcoming season after agreeing a deal with ITV.The all-electric series, which was shown on subscription service TNT Sports in 2024, has announced that all 16 races and qualifying sessions will now be available to watch on the ITVX streaming channel, with nine rounds broadcast live on ITV4.
Nicki Shields will host the coverage, which will also continue to be shown on Discovery’s TNT Sports service.
Pin sets F1 Academy pace
Dorine Pin was quickest ahead of Abbi Pulling in both of Friday’s practice sessions for the F1 Academy series.
Pin was a tenth of a second faster than the championship leader at the end of the second session of the day, with wildcard entrant Alisha Palmowski third. Qualifying for this weekend’s two races takes place this afternoon.
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Links
Footage from Verstappen's fourth world title (Red Bull via YouTube)
Some interesting behind-the-scenes footage of Verstappen's title triumph last weekend from the team's perspective.
Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene congratulate Verstappen on his F1 title (Monaco Tribune)
'The Princely Couple congratulated Max Verstappen, on behalf of the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation, on winning his fourth Formula 1 World Championship title. In September, Max Verstappen generously donated a sidepod from his Formula 1 car to an auction organized during the Calvi-Monaco Water Bike Challenge. The donation was a key factor in raising essential funds for the Foundation’s actions to prevent drowning and promote water safety among young people.'
Cannon joins Prema as head of engineering (Racer)
'Michael Cannon has joined Prema Racing in the newly created position of head of engineering. A.J. Foyt Racing’s former technical director left the team in early November and after meeting with prospective IndyCar Series teams, he’s taken a full-time role with the Italian squad ahead of its debut IndyCar season.'
Senna was a samurai in tube socks (Motor1)
''Naturally, we set the foot cam shooting at Senna's feet. We didn't realize how beautifully, cleanly, and clearly Senna moved his feet until we checked the recording.''
Superbike rider wins High Court claim after crash (BBC)
'Shane Byrne collided with a barrier after coming off his Ducati Panigale bike at Snetterton race track in Norfolk in 2018, leaving him with several fractures and internal injuries. The 47-year-old sued Motorsport Vision Racing, Motorsport Vision which owns the track and the Motorcycle Circuit Racing Control Board for damages, claiming the barrier was insufficient. In a judgement on Friday, Judge Peter Blair KC said the bodies were liable for Byrne's injuries which were ''materially caused'' by the collision with the barrier.'
We always endeavour to credit original sources. Got a tip for a link relating to single-seater motorsport? Please send it to us via the contact form.
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Social media
Notable posts from X (formerly Twitter), TikTok and more:
👋 🇶🇦 pic.twitter.com/IV6LMpQENy
— Max Verstappen (@Max33Verstappen) November 29, 2024
Friday's mission = achieved. ✅
Let's go again on Saturday, @LandoNorris! 👊#QatarGP 🇶🇦 pic.twitter.com/AEOdC9NITP
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) November 29, 2024
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- Find more official F1 accounts to follow in the F1 Twitter Directory
Comment of the day
Cadillac is joining the F1 grid, perhaps because of readers like Sonny Crockett…
I’m delighted to have a new team on the grid, so welcome to F1, Cadillac.
My only negative comment is that I don’t really associate them as a brand with sports cars. The first thing I think of when I think ‘Cadillac’ is boxy black and chrome sedans.
Maybe they intend to change that image and F1 is the start of that process?
Sonny Crockett
Happy birthday!
Happy birthday to Anirudh, Daniel and Mark Stevenson!
Newsletter
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MarkWebber (@markwebber)
30th November 2024, 2:36
Williams already lost 8th place in the championship, there is no point in spending more money on that car. It’s unfortunate for Colapinto as he probably wants to prove what he’s capable of, but he has no one to blame but himself
entah
30th November 2024, 11:12
Agreed. Williams already spend some of 2025’s cost cap in the current year.
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/teams-arent-built-to-take-six-major-crashes-vowles-reveals-crucial-impact-of.7nBrYaZhnNjYyMKSgmBhLq
notagrumpyfan
30th November 2024, 10:38
My only negative comment is that I don’t really associate them as a brand with sports cars. The first thing I think of when I think ‘Ferrari’ is flashy red and Miami wannabe pimps.
Martin Lawrence
MichaelN
30th November 2024, 12:47
Enzo Ferrari was way ahead of the curve on this, famously thinking little of the people who bought his “road cars”.