In the round-up: Esteban Ocon is confident that Alpine’s poor weekend in Monza was no due to their power unit’s performance
In brief
Alpine’s Monza woes not down to power unit deficit – Ocon
Earlier this year Alpine sought a dispensation from the FIA to equalise a perceived performance deficit between its Renault power unit and rivals Mercedes, Ferrari and Honda RBPT. However the request was turned down.
Asked if Alpine’s poor performance at Monza, a track which places a premium on engine performance, was down to its power unit, Ocon said “no, it’s not as simple as that.”
“It’s never one thing in Formula 1,” he explained. “It’s obviously not our strongest area either. But we were struggling quite a lot in corners as well, not being happy with either the balance of the car or how how it felt.
“The good thing, in a way, from that weekend, is how much we’ve learned. And the other good thing is how we got the maximum out of the car in qualifying. [Unfortunately] we were not quick enough, but both cars were within three-thousandths which really shows how much we are pushing with the set-up, the directions and how close we were for both cars.”
Hamilton unaware of approach from Massa’s lawyers
Lewis Hamilton says he is unaware of any effort by Felipe Massa’s legal representatives to contact him over their action against the FIA and F1.
Massa has commenced the early stages of legal action against F1 and the FIA over claims the heads of both organisations were aware of the ‘Crashgate’ scandal before it was made public after losing the 2008 title to Hamilton. Massa’s lawyers said they urged Hamilton to support their actions.
“I don’t believe anyone’s been in touch with me,” Hamilton told media including RaceFans.
“My thoughts haven’t changed from the last time the question was asked. I’m really not focussed on what happened 15 years ago or two years ago, I’m focussed on right now and how to help my team build towards winning another world championship.”
Armstrong runs first oval test
Chip Ganassi driver Marcus Armstrong had his first run at an oval during a private test at the Texas Motor Speedway.
The 2023 Rookie of the Year ran all road and street circuits rounds but not the oval races in this season’s championship but will compete in all rounds from 2024.
“It was an awesome experience, and I really enjoyed it,” Armstrong said. “The proper first run in the morning was great. I was just smiling after that first run and even on the in-lap I had a different reaction to what I was expecting. It was a lot more natural than I anticipated, and I felt at one with the car later in the day. I found that it was a lot easier to trust the car and the banking.”
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Links
Motor racing links of interest:
Eight thrilling moments that give hope for a dramatic Singapore GP (Motor Sport)
‘I’d argue Singapore is still special, and that it was missed during those two Covid-affected season when inevitably it was dropped from the schedule. Yes, it lives up to the street circuit stereotype on overtaking – although the much-discussed change of layout this year, with the loss of that large bus-stop section around and under the big grandstand, might help. But it’s always been a proper and welcome test of endurance (in a modern context), especially in that stultifying heat. And the place still has that exotic sheen.’
NBC Sports claims best IndyCar season audience in 12 years (Racer)
‘Half of the season’s 16 races on television delivered a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of more than 1 million viewers, tying last year for the highest mark since 2008. NBC’s 13 races posted a TAD of 1.47 million viewers, up 4% vs. last year’s coverage on NBC (1.42 million, 14 races). Overall viewership was led by the 107th running of the Indianapolis 500, which delivered a TAD of 4.93 million viewers across NBC and Peacock. The race also had a 13 share (percentage of homes watching television at the time of the race), its best in 15 years (2008; 13 share),lease noted.’
Lawson’s Formula 1 breakthrough (News Room NZ)
‘With Lawson’s success and a few other Kiwi names making waves in the motorsport world, it seems we’re seeing a resurgence. Drivers like Marcus Armstrong and Louis Sharp are starting to make a name for themselves too.’
German team crowned champions in 2023 F1 in Schools World Finals (F1)
‘A team of six 16-18-year-old students from Marie-Therese-Gymnasium in Erlangen, Germany, lifted the Aramco F1 in Schools World Champions trophy in Singapore this week as the global STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) competition held its 18th World Final. A record 350+ students from 26 countries competed at the World Finals, held at Resorts World Sentosa in Singapore, but it was Recoil Racing that beat the 67 other teams who had all progressed from their respective regional and national contests.’
“If you haven’t guessed it by now, (Rokit’s legal representative) Klayman is something of a right-wing activist, to the point where the Southern Poverty Law Center, which labels him as an extremist, called him ‘pathologically litigious.'”
Formula 1 Drivers Vs Cleaning Machines in Singapore (Red Bull via YouTube)
Verstappen beats Perez for the 13th time in 2023.
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