In the round-up: Jenson Button says lighter Formula 1 cars is “always the dream” as current ground effect machines are heaviest in history.
In brief
Button ‘dreams of lighter cars’
The 2009 F1 world champion says he would love to see F1 cars reduce in weight as the current minimum weight sits at almost 800kg.
Button will be racing in NASCAR’s Cup series in three races this season. Asked by RaceFans if he felt F1 could learn anything from NASCAR to improve racing in the world championship, Button said he would like to see lighter cars in future.
“I think F1’s in a great place,” Button said. “I enjoy the racing.
“The dream is that F1’s lighter, the cars are lighter. That’s always the dream, because I think as drivers we like lightweight cars – he says, as he’s about to race a stock car. But no, I’m happy with where F1 is. As long as we’re ready to tickle things here and there, if we think it’s necessary and try it and not be afraid, I think F1’s in a great place.”
Sainz confident Ferrari can play “better game” In Jeddah
Carlos Sainz Jnr is confident that Ferrari will enjoy better performance in Saudi Arabia this weekend than during the opening round in Bahrain.
Sainz claimed fourth for Ferrari in Bahrain, almost 50 seconds behind winner Max Verstappen. Sainz says the different circuit characteristics of Jeddah will result in a different outcome.
“The tarmac in Jeddah is very different – the limitation is not so much at the rear,” he explained. “So I’m pretty sure it’s going to be a bit different in other tracks.
“Bahrain is the most extreme for deg[redation] of the year, so we only have one example. So I’m confident at other circuits we can play a better game.”
Toyota quickest as WEC prologue test ends
Toyota set the pace across both days of the World Endurance Championship pre-season prologue test at Sebring ahead of this weekend’s opening round.
The number eight Toyota team of Sebastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa set the fastest time in the Hypercar class on the second and final day of running. The second Toyota of Kamui Kobayashi, Mike Conway and Jose Maria Lopez was second-quickest, while the Cadillac Racing Hypercar of Earl Bamber, Alex Lynn and Richard Westbrook was third. Ferrari were fourth-fastest in the all-new 499P.
The WEC season begins with the 1,000 miles of Sebring, which takes place on Friday.
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Links
Motor racing links of interest:
Aston Martin preach caution after Bahrain heroics (Speedcafe)
“In a cost cap environment, you need to start with a good baseline because you cannot afford to spend what you have available on just developing. This is why we went aggressive in the targets we had for the car.Now, obviously, it’s not always easy to achieve but our team has managed to achieve great things there.”
‘Geri is a force of nature’ – at home with the Horners (Telegraph)
“For your average Lewis fan I’m probably some sort of antichrist. But I make no apology for standing up for my team. I am protective of them and I wear my heart on my sleeve. I know we didn’t cheat last year. I’m 100 per cent comfortable with that.”
Up 38% in a week, is Aston Martin among the best UK stocks to buy? (The Motley Fool)
“I’m one of those saddos that watch F1 practice on a Friday. And as Fernando Alonso was demonstrating that the Aston could be Red Bull’s main competitor this season, something strange happened. The share price jumped 10%. The F1 team is separate from the stock, but there’s a clear overlap. With the team performing well in an increasingly US-focused sport, the carmaker should benefit — the US is also among its largest markets.”
Frijns: ‘Good to Be Back’ Driving After Formula E Crash Injury (Sportscar365)
“It’s been very frustrating for me the last seven or eight weeks. Obviously, the last thing you want is to start the season like this. It’s definitely the worst start of my season ever. It was not just the bone that was fractured: I had like five fractures, four in the hand and one in the wrist. Everything inside was a bit out of place.”
The story behind Australian racing’s slicks-and-wings survival route (Formula Scout)
“We’ve got a lot of F3 cars down here, and we’ve got a gaping hole in Australian motorsport for a development category. Either coming from Formula Ford, which is more state-based, or even going straight into Formula Open from karts. So I reckon there’s a hole there. Kids shouldn’t be going straight from karts to S5000, it’s the most brutal car you’ll ever drive. So Australian F3 has pretty well morphed into Australian FOpen.”
De Vries’ First F1 Race with Scuderia AlphaTauri! (AlphaTauri via YouTube)
Behind-the-scenes look at De Vries’ preparation for his first race with AlphaTauri.
The Problems of Prost Grand Prix (The Mobile Chicane via YouTube)
YouTuber The Mobile Chicane presents a 67 minute video essay chronicling the history of Alain Prost’s ill-fated takeover of Ligier between 1997-2001.
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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On this day in motorsport
- 40 years ago today Nelson Piquet won his home race for Brabham while Keke Rosberg was disqualified from second place in the same event for the second year in a row
