In the round-up: Oscar Piastri admitted he “went in a little bit hot” when he crashed his McLaren at turn three.
In brief
Piastri crash a “big consequence” for a little error
McLaren driver Oscar Piastri said his crash at turn three during second practice was a “big consequence” for a slight misjudgement.
The rookie lost control of his car at the high banked third turn, hitting the barriers and ending is session. Moments later, Daniel Ricciardo also crashed after arriving on the scene of Piastri’s accident, breaking his hand in the process.
“I just went in a little bit hot,” Piastri explained of his accident. “I tried to turn in a bit aggressively and unfortunately found the wall.
“I guess it was going to happen at some stage. Of course you never want it to, but just pushing a little bit too hard. And around here, especially in that corner, you pay a big consequence if you overdo it a little bit. So I’ll try not to do it again and see what it can do for the rest of weekend.
AlphaTauri has announced Liam Lawson will substitute for the injured Ricciardo this weekend.
Hulkenberg cleared of impeding Verstappen
Nico Hulkenberg avoided punishment by the stewards following an incident at the start of the second practice session where he appeared to impede Max Verstappen at the penultimate corner.
The championship leader was completing his first flying lap of the session but had to back off after coming across Hulkenberg’s Haas at the apex of turn 13. However, after investigating the incident, the stewards took no further action.
“The drivers agreed that Hulkenberg was affected by the cars in front of him and slowed, thereby impeding Verstappen,” the stewards explained. “However, as this was FP2, the drivers agreed that it did not rise to the standard of ‘Unnecessarily Impeding’. Further, as the closing speeds at this location are significant, the incident looked more dramatic than what it was, but the drivers agreed that it was not particularly dangerous.”
Crawford secures first F2 pole after three red flags
Jak Crawford will start on pole position for Sunday’s Formula 2 feature race after he secured the fastest time in qualifying following a chaotic end to the session.
Crawford had been on provisional pole before the session was red-flagged when Jehan Daruvala spun into the wall on the exit of turn three. When the session resumed, Dennis Hauger should have beaten Crawford’s time by milliseconds but his lap was cancelled when Juan Manuel Correa spun into the gravel at turn ten to bring out a second red flag. In the last minute, Clement Novalak ran wide at the exit of turn three, dislodging his front wing and triggering the session-ending final red flag.
Championship leader Theo Pourchaire will start today’s sprint race from reverse-grid pole after qualifying tenth in the session.
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Links
Motor racing links of interest:
‘Mansell has now listed 330 items for sale with world-famous auctioneer RM Sotheby’s. There are plenty of incredible items for racing fans to get their hands on. Just £500 gets Mansell’s Podium Cap from his British GP win in 1991. And for those with more cash to burn, the legend’s ‘5 NM’ car number plate is available for £60,000. More stunning racing items include his 1992 German GP Trophy for first place, as well as worn racing suits and helmets.’
The Haas F1 car weakness that’s allowing Hulkenberg to shine (Motor Sport)
‘Over one lap the car lacks rear stability but Hulkenberg is able to use that as an asset in getting the car rotated early into the corner. Magnussen just doesn’t feel the car in the same way and what for Hulkenberg is agility is for Magnussen instability. That trait of the car seems then to be playing its part in overheating the rear tyres after a few laps of the race, which is what brings the drivers down to the same level.’
Formula 1 and Liqui Moly extend partnership in new multi-year deal (Liqui Moly)
‘Through the new contract, the long-established company for motor oils, additives and car care will continue to be an ‘Official Partner’ until 2026 inclusive. Liqui Moly has been an ‘Official Partner’ in the globally popular racing series since 2019. As an Official Partner, Liqui Moly will continue to have physical and virtual trackside signage at select race events.’
IndyCar Series making progress on charter concept (Racer)
‘Unlike Formula 1 or NASCAR, where teams’ guaranteed access to compete in each race is a commodity that holds exceptional value, IndyCar does not have a business structure in place where the small business owners who compete in the series own their access; teams can come and go and new entries are welcome with no buy-in fee. IndyCar’s Leaders Circle program is the one business link between the series and its teams where the top 22 finishers in the annual entrants’ championship are offered a guaranteed prize money package worth $915,000 in exchange for committing to compete in every round. The contract is not transferrable from one team to another as a commodity, and it can be lost if a team’s entry falls outside of the top 22.’
9 Must-Watch Films at the Venice International Film Festival (Rotten Tomatoes)
‘Much has already been said about Adam Driver stepping into his most significant biopic to date. After an already impressive performance opposite Lady Gaga in House of Gucci, we get to see Driver take on one of the most dynamic names in the history of automotive sports, namely the iconic leader and founder of Ferrari, Enzo Ferrari. Driver stars alongside some A-list names that are no strangers to the F1 racetrack, such as amateur racecar drivers Patrick Dempsey and Jack O’Connell, joined by Big Little Lies star Shailene Woodley and Oscar nominee Penelope Cruz.’
The story of Colin McRae’s first rally car (DirtFish)
‘This Chrysler Sunbeam is the very car Colin McRae used to make his rallying debut. It must be because, when his parents Jim and Margaret went away on holiday in September 1985, Colin – then a month past his 17th birthday – definitely didn’t mention anything about doing the Kames Stages in a Chrysler Avenger while they were away… That very Sunbeam – the car that launched Colin McRae’s rally career – will go under the hammer at Silverstone on Friday.’
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