In the round-up: Kevin Magnussen says Haas’ major upgrade for this weekend’s race is unlikely to produce a major breakthrough in performance.
In brief
Magnussen doesn’t expect immediate gain from upgrade
Haas will bring a major upgrade for its VF-23 to its home race at the Circuit of the Americas this weekend, having made few changes to it so far this season. But Magnussen said the team’s change in concept won’t pay off immediately.
“I’m happy we get this upgrade at the next race and excited about it,” said Magnussem. It’s really positive for the team to have that to look forward to and get some new tools to play with. Hopefully we can find more performance.
“I don’t think it’s realistic to expect miracles in the first race in Austin. Of course we all wish for that at night when we go to sleep. But realistically, it will take us a race or two to figure it out. I’m just really glad we can leave this behind and move ahead to there.”
Don’t miss RaceFans’ exclusive interviews with Kevin Magnussen and Haas team principal Guenther Steiner this week.
IndyCar hybrid “changes a lot” – Palou
IndyCar champion Alex Palou said the hybrid system the series will introduce next year make a significant difference to performance. “It’s very different,” said the Ganassi drier after testing it at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway last week, “even though it’s a small change, it changes a lot at this place.
“But it’s really fun. We’re just learning as much as possible from the hybrid system, the recharge, deployment and just trying to get some changes to learn as much as possible with HPD.”
He predicted the extra power available from the hybrid system will be useful for overtaking at the ony superspeedway on the 2024 schedule.
“There’s always challenges when you add a big system like that,” said Palou. “It’s brand-new for everybody. You don’t want to risk damaging and you don’t want to not be at the limit of it. So we’re just trying different stuff.
“I think it’s going to be really good and useful here at the speedway, especially for traffic running. When we’re alone, we don’t really feel that much of a difference, but when we’re in traffic we can get the advantage to try and overtake.”
Mercedes’ Antonelli takes another title
Andrea Kimi Antonelli clinched the Formula Regional European Championship with two races to spare at Zandvoort yesterday. The 17-year-old took until the eighth race of the season to score his first win but has impressed with his consistency and sealed the title with a commanding, 12-second victory over Marcus Amand.
The Mercedes-backed Antonelli also won the Formula Regional Middle East title earlier this year and a pair of Formula 4 title last season. Rumours have suggested Mercedes may choose to skip Formula 3 and place him in Formula 2 next year.
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Trio unhurt in Formula Regional pile-up
Three drivers were unhurt in a crash during yesterday’s round of the Formula Regional European series at Zandvoort, in an incident with uncomfortable parallels to that which claimed the life of Dilano van ‘t Hoff three months earlier at Spa-Francorchamps.
Emmo Fittipaldi, a grandson of two-times Formula 1 world champion Emerson, spun into a barrier and bounced towards the track. He was struck by Maya Weug, who subsequently tangled with Nikhil Bora. The race was red-flagged but all three climbed from their cars.
Bridgestone acknowledges failed F1 tyre supply bid
Following the FIA and Formula 1’s decision to continue with Pirelli as its tyre supplier for the 2025 to 2027 seasons, unsuccessful rival bidder Bridgestone said its submission “received positive recognition” from the two
Bridgestone planned to introduced “sustainability initiatives across the value chain and the ‘ultimate customisation’ of its new Enliten technology, which can be changed based on the needs of different racing conditions,” said global CEO Shuichi Ishibashi. “Bridgestone will continue to passionately push its technology and innovation through the mobile lab and proving ground that motorsport offers, strengthening its pursuit of sustainable global premium motorsport activities,” he added.
