In the round-up: Williams have taken a strategic choice not to shakedown their new FW46 prior to the Bahrain test
In brief
No Silverstone shakedown a strategic choice – Vowles
Williams team principal James Vowles says he made a deliberate strategic choice not to run their new FW46 for a shakedown run at Silverstone prior to this week’s test in Bahrain.
Red Bull, Mercedes, McLaren and Aston Martin have all run their new cars at the British Grand Prix circuit for one of their 200km filming days allowed under the regulations. However, Vowles explained that he preferred to save one of those days for later in the season.
“We could easily have run there, but there is balance between doing a virtual track test and Silverstone,” Vowles told media including RaceFans. “I’d much rather want to spend time dedicated to the virtual track test and then basically film it, rather than shake it down, in Bahrain.
“Silverstone, I have several feelings towards it. I’ve done it for a number of years, and sometimes you get some really good things out of it. Sometimes you’re running around on extreme wet tyres in blustery conditions with your pit equipment falling over and you don’t learn a single thing. And that balance means I’d much rather do virtual track testing and then bring the car to Bahrain where we can do that properly, and then furthermore, save that filming day for later in the year where we either need footage or we need some other questions to be answered.”
F1 Academy cuts season from 21 races to 14
F1 Academy will hold two races per weekend instead of three this year. The all-female series is running exclusively as a support series to Formula 1 for the first time in its second season.However due to the limited time available during grand prix weekends, the series has taken the decision to drop its second, partial-reversed-grid race. The seven-round championship will therefore feature a total of 14 races instead of 21.
Wildcard confirmed for first F1 Academy round
Saudi Arabian driver Reema Juffali will be the first wildcard entry into this year’s F1 Academy series as she competes in the season opening round in Jeddah.
Noted for being the first woman from her country to be granted a racing license, the 32-year-old raced in the GT World Challenge series last year.
“As the saying goes: ‘if you can’t see it, you won’t believe it’. So, hopefully Saudi fans can see that there is a Saudi racing driver out there and it will get them to thinking that ‘this is something I can do’,” said Juffali. “It is for this reason I have decided to take this challenge on. This is just the beginning.”
Sato becomes Honda executive advisor
The 47-year-old, who has raced with Honda power for the vast majority of his racing career, will support Honda’s driver development programme and “operational structure for racing activities.”
“In addition to passing on the skills and experience I have amassed to future generations,” Sato said, “I will still be a challenger and continue to take on new challenges together with Honda without losing the spirit of ‘no attack, no chance.’ Through such challenges, I will strive to contribute to the further advancement of Honda motorsports activities.”
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Links
Motor racing links of interest:
F1 Testing: Everything you need to know (Mercedes)
'The three days give us limited but valuable on-track experience of the car in real life, away from the simulator in Brackley. It is the first time our drivers will get meaningful miles in the cars before the first race of the season, the following week. For the team who have worked tirelessly on the car, it is a chance to see it come to life but also to collect data and information to help inform any potential changes further into the season.'
Flow-vis paint: What do F1 teams use it for? (Sky)
'Ahead of pre-season testing in Bahrain, Bernie Collins explains what flow-vis paint is, how it works and what the F1 teams are using it for.'
Hamilton ‘ran me over’ in go kart aged seven (The Sun)
'I shouted ‘Hey, look out, you little bugger’. Then he whacked into me, going like the clappers on his little cart. But Lewis did say ‘sorry’. He was a lovely lad and his family were very nice people too. I often used to chat to his dad.'
Explained: Juju Noda and the minimum weight 'debate' in Super Formula (Japan Racing Insider)
Hideki Noda: ''Unfortunately, basically motorsport is a sport where male and female athletes have to compete together, and she has to fight her rivals with a handicap in terms of physical strength. In terms of skill, I don’t think she is lacking anything compared to the other drivers. But how far she can overcome that (physical disadvantage) is a worry.''
Celsius now a Scuderia Ferrari global team partner (Ferrari)
'Celsius therefore will continue to energize Scuderia Ferrari on track and in Maranello with the essential energy of its fitness drink made with premium ingredients and zero sugar designed to help people who want to live fit, surpass their goals and improve the quality of their daily lives. Scuderia Ferrari fans will also be able to enjoy special activations organised by Celsius throughout the year, both on and off the race tracks, delivering a season to remember.'
FIA welcomes AlphaTauri as the federation's first Official Clothing Partner (FIA)
'Over this significant three-year partnership, AlphaTauri will equip all FIA staff with clothing and accessories, redefining how style and convenience intertwine with the world of motorsport. AlphaTauri will also be the official partner of the prestigious FIA Prize Giving Ceremony. This strategic collaboration aligns two organizations that are deeply committed to innovation.'
How to watch IndyCar's 2024 season, including the Indy 500 (Digital Spy)
'For new customers, pricing currently starts at £46/month for 18 months with Sky TV and Netflix (setup fees may apply). NOW pricing is £11.99 for day membership, or £34.99 for a month's membership. At the time of writing, IndyCar's own streaming service, IndyCar Live, will let you stream selected test, practice and qualifying sessions legally in the UK, as well as all sessions for support series Indy NXT (featuring triple W Series champion Jamie Chadwick).'
South Africa shines at the inaugural African Karting Cup (FIA)
'South Africa’s Muhammad Wally took the top spot in OK-N, while Wian Boshoff and Max Boshoff claimed victory in the OK-J and Mini ROK classes. The African Karting Cup is a prestigious new karting event, which aims to boost participation and increase opportunities for young drivers looking to enter international competition. This year’s OK-N winner will get the opportunity to compete at the FIA Karting World Championship, while the top-placed OK-J participant will receive free entry to next year’s OK-N competition.'
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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Social media
Notable posts from X (formerly Twitter), TikTok and more:
Last week, we were joined at our season launch by I / AM members for the reveal of #AMR24.
Also in attendance was a group of University of Westminster students, who heard from industry experts on the importance of STEM in motorsport, courtesy of @Cognizant's Outreach Programme. pic.twitter.com/scZkJJsMnO
— Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team (@AstonMartinF1) February 19, 2024
https://twitter.com/fia/status/1759578591594160183
⌛Less than 24 hours to go until Le Mans Ultimate goes on sale!
Check out below when the game goes on sale in Early Access in your part of the world 🕹️#LeMansUltimate #WEC #LeMans24 pic.twitter.com/jY7WtIXmyJ
— Le Mans Ultimate (@LeMansUltimate) February 19, 2024
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- Find more official F1 accounts to follow in the F1 Twitter Directory
Comment of the day
With Lewis Hamilton moving from Mercedes to Ferrari after this season, David BR only expects problems between them if he and George Russell end up fighting for the title…
I don’t think it will bother Hamilton, he can just relax and drive the car as far as it will go without having to worry about development beyond the end of the season. It will be a bit trickier for Mercedes since they’ll want Hamilton – and Russell – to maximise results this year but may be wary about some stuff they’d rather Ferrari didn’t get to know.
The only awkward scenario I can imagine is if, for some weird reason, the two drivers end up in a title battle. Then the tensions between drivers and who is getting what extra tech, information, etc, could ratchet up. The closest comparison being Hamilton vs Fernando Alonso in 2007 when Alonso was clearly on his way out but in a title fight to the last race. Unlikely though.
David BR
Happy birthday!
Happy birthday to Mondol and Carlitox!
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SjaakFoo (@sjaakfoo)
20th February 2024, 0:40
So much for that rule, I suppose.
Coventry Climax
20th February 2024, 1:00
Probably doesn’t apply as long as she wears FiA Alpha Tauri Official Clothing exclusively.
And pays 100.000 fold for it with Saudian money.
Tristan (@skipgamer)
20th February 2024, 5:31
The filming day serves its purpose for necessary footage. However, the option to delay it for answering other questions seems unnecessary. If most teams require a shakedown for testing readiness, it should be explicitly outlined in the rules. It’s counterproductive for the FIA to have rules that are routinely disregarded, except by a who then openly acknowledge the option to disregard them further down the line.
MacLeod (@macleod)
20th February 2024, 7:38
I think it’s a money saving thing…
Jere (@jerejj)
20th February 2024, 6:06
I found both The Sun & Japan Racing Insider articles interesting, especially the latter, for which generally, I don’t feel exceptions should necessarily be made & additionally, I’m skeptical about the part ”some studies even suggest that women can cope better with g-forces than men can.”
Boomerang
20th February 2024, 13:19
“some studies even suggest that women can cope better with g-forces than men can.” I’ve heard that too! I always regarded The Sun as a reliable source of scientific data not as good as Cochrane but close enough.
Tristan
20th February 2024, 13:51
Might help if you bothered to read the article. But I’m sure you know better than a professional racing driver that obviously done a but of research into these things in the course of her career.
Alan Dove
20th February 2024, 8:00
While the FIA are patting themselves on the back the FIA KZ European Championship has had to cancel the first round after issues with securing tyre supply. An absolute joke of a situation and once again suggests the FIA are no longer suitable custodians of elite level karting.
From the FIA.
CIK-FIA President Akbar Ebrahim said: “This revised European Championship calendar for the KZ categories is the culmination of several months of negotiations, following an exceptional situation on the tyre supply that the CIK-FIA has dealt with. It is never ideal to have to change a programme and we understand the inconvenience this can cause to teams, drivers and organisers who had prepared for an earlier start to the season. We regret this inconvenience, but it was vital to ensure that the championships were maintained.”
“The maintenance of the competitions was made possible thanks to the agreement reached with Anderson CSK and Dunlop for the supply of tyres. The KZ categories are incredibly important to the FIA and their success can be measured by the enthusiasm they generate among drivers whose numbers are growing year on year. 2023 produced some great races and I am certain that the level of competition and spectacle will be even higher in 2024.”
Alessandro Manetti said “I think this situation is not good for karting!! For me, a situation like this is unacceptable!!!!”
Bullfrog (@bullfrog)
20th February 2024, 11:43
If Lewis went back to Stevenage to make his peace with that postman, Roscoe would probably bite him.
Great to see hard-hitting investigative journalism’s alive and well at the Sun.