In the round-up: Kevin Magnussen says a sprint race could be a worthwhile addition to the Monaco Grand Prix weekend.
In brief
Sprint race could suit “weird” Monaco event – Magnussen
Although some supporters of sprint races have said the format wouldn’t be suitable in Monaco, where overtaking is almost impossible, Magnussen believes it could enhance the weekend.
“We know there’s no overtaking in the race so it does feel now with all these other races where overtaking is pretty good and racing is pretty good, that it is a bit of a weird one because there’s so little,” he said. “Maybe there could be more qualifying sessions or a sprint [race] to throw a curveball.”
The Haas driver said the circuit is one of his favourites. “It’s the best track on the calendar to drive, it’s just phenomenal on these little tight streets with walls everywhere,” he said. “The feeling of driving a Formula 1 car in Monaco, to me, is the best of the year.”
Amid speculation over its future on the calendar, Monaco recently signed a short extension to its F1 contract. Magnussen hopes F1 never drops the historic circuit. “The Monaco Grand Prix is a part of the triple crown, it’s one of those races where if you win that, it’s extra special,” he said. “Having driven around there it’s so special, so I hope it stays on the calendar.”
Newey not set on Ferrari – Jordan
Reports Red Bull chief technical officer Adrian Newey has decided to join McLaren have been denied by his manager Eddie Jordan.
“Speaking as someone who should know, and I’m not giving any information away other than I can tell you at no stage, at no stage is any this kind of discussion happening,” he told Formula For Success. “There will be talks and there is going to be ongoing talks, because we have yet to decide what Adrian himself wants to do.”
Jordan suggested Newey will want to spent some time with his family before committing to another F1 team. “He’s been at this since coming straight from his dream to be an engineer at university and Leyton House and Williams, McLaren now Red Bull.
“Jesus, the guy is 60-something, he’s getting a new boat, I would have said that equally alongside all of those potential teams that we’re talking about. the fifth team he should be thinking about is himself. Himself and Amanda. They’ve got a wonderful home in Cape Town. We see a lot of them. They’re great, great friends. I have no idea. And let us be very clear. It’ll always be Adrian’s decision. And so it should be. But there is no clear call.”
Leclerc’s car passes extra checks
Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari was selected at random for extra physical checks after he finished third in the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix. The inspection covered the suspension, dampers, sensors and associated electronics, all of which were found to comply with the regulations.
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No more Formula 3 at Macau Grand Prix
The Macau Grand Prix will no longer feature Formula 3 cars, the FIA has confirmed. From this year the competition will be held for Formula Regional level machinery.
“Bringing Formula Regional cars to Macau for the FIA World Cup is a natural consequence of the evolution of the junior single-seater landscape over the last couple of years and is a logical step in the pyramid,” said the FIA’s single-seater strategy and operations director Francois Sicard.
“Macau’s Formula 3 race has built its legendary reputation as an event that gathered the best junior racers from national series around the world at what is the world’s most challenging street circuit. A move to Formula Regional machinery very much revives that spirit and is an optimal long-term solution for the FIA-sanctioned single-seater competition in Macau.”
F3 cars returned to Macau last year for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic and attracted several Formula 2 drivers to appear in the race. Luke Browning won, joining past F3 winners including Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher.
Hedley standing in for Zagazeta
GB3 racer James Hedley will make his Formula 3 debut for Jenzer as a substitute for Matias Zagazeta in Monaco this weekend. Zagazeta is unable to race having recently undergone an emergency operation for appendicitis.
Hedley won the Ginetta Junior championship in 2019, then twice finished fifth in the British Formula 4 championship with four wins, and came sixth in GB3 last year.
“I got a phone call yesterday at 4pm and it’s happening,” said Hedley. “I am racing FIA F3 at Monaco.”
“There’s no time for sim preparation but I will focus on the drive and give it everything,” he added. Thank you to everyone helping me get to Monaco.”
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Links
Motor racing links of interest:
Max-Faktor entscheidend in Imola (Speed Week – German)
Helmut Marko: ‘This is part of a series of excellent performances from Yuki, with the exception of China, he delivered every weekend. He almost doesn’t make any mistakes anymore, he’s focused, he works well with the engineers.’
Bruno Famin column (Alpine)
‘As I said I’m very happy with the reaction of the team after the very difficult start of the season. I haven’t seen anybody down, really. Again, one of the good points is how the team kept pushing, convinced that we couldn’t stay there, and that we had to fight. That is not our position, it’s not where we should be.’
Interview: Vasseur’s mission to transform Ferrari (Goodwood)
‘I’m less affected by the bad side of the pressure. I’m not impacted by the Italian press. I have less of a connection with the Latin aspect of the team, for sure. I’m more focused on what I’m doing, on the team than on the talk. This, I think, in the end, is an advantage.’
McLaren considering Kanaan, Siegel as possible Indy 500 subs for Larson (Racer)
‘If it were to rain on Sunday, but dry enough for the race to start after Larson needed to leave, Kanaan would be cleared to drive after a refresher is completed. If rain were to delay the 500 until the day after the Charlotte NASCAR race, the team and Larson would need to decide how they wanted to proceed.’
Young female drivers take aim at F1’s male monopoly (Reuters)
‘A lot of people seem to think for some reason that the females aren’t physically capable of getting to Formula One. I’ve had some really good chats with females that are involved with the RAF (Royal Air Force) and the G-forces that they pull (are) more than the G-forces that they pull in an F1 car.’
Peugeot: We need wins soon to justify 9X8 programme (Sportscar 365)
‘While manufacturers are forbidden from directly commenting on the (Balance of Performance) by the WEC’s sporting regulations, the Frenchman made it clear he felt Peugeot would be capable of contending at the front of the field with the weight and power it had last season.’
Roland Ratzenberger docuseries episode 1: The early years (Levay Film Production – YouTube)
We always endeavour to credit original sources. If you have a tip for a link relating to single-seater motorsport to feature in the next RaceFans round-up please send it to us via the contact form.
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Happy birthday!
Happy birthday to Emmet!
On this day in motorsport
- 20 years ago today Jarno Trulli scored his only Formula 1 victory in the Monaco Grand Prix, for Renault
