Ferrari CEO: Committed To F1 And WEC
Ferrari Benedetto Vigna spoke. He said that Ferrari is committed. They want to stay in top-flight motorsport. This is because they see value in technology transfer. They want to use the technology in their road vehicles.
Ferrari CEO Vigna says sport is essential for them. Racing is the DNA of their firm.
We are going back to the World Endurance Championship in 2023, 50 years after we stopped attending. Le Mans is happening next week. Sport is crucial, especially Formula 1 and World Endurance Championship. We keep investing because we can use the technology from these races on the road.
In the blog, it was said that the Purosangue is the company's first SUV. They used a combustion engine from Formula 1 to make it. This helps Purosangue perform well on the road.
When asked if watching the team's not-so-great start to 2023 was stressful, Vigna said there are worse things that cause stress.
We can get better and learn. Our cars should always be better than before. This applies to everything we do.
Ferrari was fast in qualifying for the Le Mans 24 Hours on Wednesday. They might not have pole yet, because there is still the hyperpole session today.
On Wednesday, there was a three-hour practice session. Toyota did well and got first and second place with Brendon Hartley's lap being the best. The top eight drivers were close, covering only a second. There were also other cars like a Cadillac, two Porsches, two Peugeots, and a Ferrari.
There was less time to drive laps alone because the qualifying session was only one hour long in the evening. Cars in lower classes made it hard to go fast without other cars around, which led to two crashes that stopped the session for a bit.
The clock stopped and only 20 out of 62 cars drove fast laps. Kobayashi from Toyota was the fastest with 3.25.485.
Frederic Makowiecki from Porsche Penske was the closest to his pace during qualifying. Earl Bamber from Cadillac was in third place and half a second behind. The Ferraris appeared to be fast, but Antonio Fuoco lost a chance at a pole position due to a track limits violation and red flags.
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Hartley from Toyota got first and second place. Fuoco was ninth and couldn't move on to the next round. Then, with 20 minutes left, Fuoco climbed up to first place with a 3'25.421 time. He even got faster on his next lap, while Pier Guidi got second place. And that was how the race ended.
In the race, Toyota ranked third and fourth. Porsche's Makowiecki and Felipe Nasr got fifth and sixth. Cadillac's Sebastien Bourdais and Earl Bamber grabbed the last two Hyperpole spots.
The fastest Peugeot car is starting 10th because it was 2.333 seconds slower than the leaders. The third Porsche Penske car, driven by Nasr, broke down on the track at the end of the race.
At the end of the day, Laurens Vanthoor from Porsche Penske was the fastest in a two-hour night-time practice. Jota Sport's Porsche was close behind with only one second difference. Due to hybrid problems, their Porsche was not qualified. The 16-car Hypercar group was helped by Vanwall who ended up with a lap 6.269s off the ultimate pace and 1.716s ahead of the LMP2 class leader.
FIA wants someone to give an engine for the F3 championship. It's for times between 2025 and 2027. They published the invitation to tender.
Mecachrome gives engines to Formula 2. One engine's been used since 2019. It's six cylinders and can make 380 horsepower. The FIA wants the next engine to have 399hp.
In the tender documents, there are more things that the engine needs to meet. Firstly, it should be able to run on 55% sustainable fuel during its first season. By 2026, it should be completely compatible with sustainable fuel. Secondly, some parts of the engine should be recyclable. Lastly, The engine life should be more than 10,000km because F3 plans to have a 10-round calendar and 9 test days for 2025.
The FIA hasn't decided if the engine should be natural or turbo. They also haven't decided if there should be a push-to-pass system or how big the engine should be. This information is important because it affects the size of the bodywork and wheelbase when introducing a new chassis for F3.
The F1 presenting team on Sky Sports Italia said some sexist things on air. Two of them got suspended.
Matteo Bobbi and Davide Valsecchi made a rude comment during their analysis. They called a woman in the background an "upgrade package". Federica Masolin tried to stop them, but they continued their inappropriate exchange.
Here are some interesting links related to motor racing: - www.formula1.com: The official website of Formula 1. - www.motorsport.com: A website that covers motorsports news and events from around the world. - www.nascar.com: The official website of NASCAR, an American stock car racing association. - www.fia.com: The International Automobile Federation website, the governing body of many motorsports. Check them out if you're a fan of motor racing!
Bernie Ecclestone has denied tax fraud related to a trust fund of £400 million, according to The Times.
Bernie Ecclestone, former F1 boss, says he didn't hide more than £400 million in overseas assets. Ecclestone was accused of not telling UK tax authorities about a trust he had in Singapore with $650 million in it. Southwark crown court heard the allegations. Ecclestone, who is 92, denied the fraud charge against him.
Downtown Detroit businesses made millions during the busy grand prix weekend. The Detroit Free Press reported this news. Many people visited the city and spent money at local businesses. This boosted the economy. People enjoyed the races and the atmosphere of the event. The businesses were happy to see the increase in sales. Overall, it was a successful weekend for everyone involved.
The grand prix came back to downtown Detroit. Lots of people saw the race and it was exciting. The weather was sunny and warm. Many businesses in the downtown area were happy about the race.
Kirkwood finished sixth in the IndyCar race in Detroit, despite facing some challenges.
The start got cancelled because the field was not in a tight formation. Kirkwood started 12th position. He got hit from behind while entering turn three. It was a strong hit that wrecked his whole rear wing. The race officials showed the yellow flag, so Kirkwood had time to replace his rear wing without losing a lap. On the next lap, he went back to pit road. He started to make progress again during the restart on lap seven.
Roland wonders if F1's current success could be a threat to Supercars.
F1 is doing well after the pandemic. 50 years ago, it wasn't the top motorsport competition, as it competed with the World Sportscar Championship. People think that the increased interest in F1 in the USA will boost all motorsports, but I don't agree. Maybe pay to play GT racing and club racing will benefit, as well as lower level racing competitions, but only because they rely on user funding.
Mansell has made progress in the early season of Formula 3. However, there is still more work to be done in order to make the most of Campos' package.
Christian Mansell did well in the Barcelona feature race. He started from 16th on the grid and ended up in the top 10. This is his third top 10 finish of the season. He's happy with his progress so far, but thinks he can do better. Campos Racing is doing well and Christian wants to make the most of this.
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