In the round-up: A former F1 steward says he does not believe there is an anti-Spanish bias in sport.
In brief
No anti-Spanish bias says ex-steward
After Fernando Alonso suggested to Spanish media in Miami that Spanish drivers like him are more likely to get penalties for incidents than their rivals, Spanish former F1 steward Joaquin Verdegay does not agree.
“I don’t see that there is a persecution against the Spaniards,” Verdegay, the vice-president of the Real Federacion Espanola de Automovilismo (Spanish automobile federation), told Marca. “What there is is a lack of control and a loss of direction that worries and saddens me. Why have we stopped racing in the rain? And now there are these absurd races behind a Safety Car.
“Of course, Alonso’s complaints are legitimate. It is possible that the regulations are difficult to interpret, but he does not want everything that happens to be sanctioned. I would not have penalised Alonso in China, or Lewis Hamilton in Miami either.
“The races are more intended to be a party than a sporting spectacle, it gives the feeling that the Miami Grand Prix is a happening organised to sell nacho trays.”
Verstappen success ‘dangerous’ for F1
The promoter of the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal has described Max Verstappen’s sustained success in Formula 1 as ‘dangerous’ for the health of the sport.
The world champion won 19 of 22 rounds last season and has finished first in four of the first six grands prix so far this year.
“In the long term, for the average racing fan, there is a disinterest,” said race promoter Francois Dumontier. “Unless you are a die-hard Verstappen fan.
“How many fans said they watched the start and then went to mow their lawn before returning in front of the screen for the end of the race? For sport, it’s dangerous.
“We have to admit that Max is good. He has incredible calm and is an excellent driver who makes very few mistakes, He also drives a very good car. I’m not sure that a driver driving behind at the back of the pack would be able to do the same thing in this car, which is very well tuned by the engineers.”
Da Costa quickest in Berlin practice
Porsche driver Antonio Felix da Costa set the pace in the opening practice session for the Berlin Eprix double-header on Friday.
Da Costa’s best of 1’02.289 was a tenth of a second ahead of Sergio Sette Camara’s ERT and Stoffel Vandoorne’s DS Penske in third.
Pascal Wehrlein failed to complete a lap around the revised Templehof circuit after stopping on track with a problem.
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Links
Motor racing links of interest:
Lewis Hamilton’s F1 movie starring Brad Pitt surpasses eye-watering budget (Newsweek)
‘However, the glamour of its cast and the novelty of its setting have come at a high price. Initially projected with a substantial budget, the actual expenses ballooned as the production involved the use of genuine race cars and rigorous safety protocols. These elements, while aiming to provide an authentic racing experience, have notably inflated the costs.’
Kenyan karting and golf prodigy Krrish dreams about Formula 1 (Kenyan Star)
”My favourite sport is motorsport and precisely F1 because the foundation of F1 is karting. I want to drive an F1 car one day or be in an F1 team. Karting is by and large a ‘hidden gem’ of motorsports where almost all of the world’s professional racecar drivers begin their careers.”
Alpine presents Alpenglow Hy4 at WEC Spa race (FIA WEC)
‘The Alpine Alpenglow Hy4 will make its first public display tomorrow (Saturday) with demonstration runs. It will also be present for further demonstration laps at next month’s 24 Hours of Le Mans – round four of WEC (15-16 June). Alpine is reconciling environmental innovation and performance through its hydrogen combustion engine technology. This technology offers a new approach to decarbonising motor racing and a possible avenue for sports cars. Alpenglow is currently fitted with a 4-cylinder development engine, a working phase before the presentation of an all-new V6 engine specifically designed to be powered by hydrogen, developed entirely by Alpine. It will be unveiled in a second rolling version before the end of the year.’
IndyCar champ’s Pride livery frickin’ rules (Jalopnik)
‘Not only is that a great initiative to support, and I hope the merch sells out, but the livery itself kicks a lot of ass. The DHL livery already showed a serious improvement when it moved to a Chip Ganassi car this season in its traditional yellow with red sidepods. Replacing the red sidepods with rainbow just adds an extra level of fun and color to the car that will be zipping past at over 230 miles per hour. ‘
‘Newcastle United commercial partners Saudia have confirmed a new partnership between the club and Formula E. The full video announcement features Newcastle stars Anthony Gordon and Elliot Anderson waiting for the ‘Secret Driver’, who is revealed to be £63million striker Alexander Isak at the end of the video.’
How F1’s Miami GP’s food surplus feeds the city and fights climate change (The Athletic)
‘Thousands of pounds of food are made over the three-day weekend, ranging from simple ingredients like common produce to filet mignon. By the end of the 2022 weekend, approximately 90,000 pounds of food were left over, which equates to roughly 75,000 meals — a significant amount of food that needed to be rescued.’
Lunch Money (Daniel Ricciardo via YouTube)
Behind the scenes of Ricciardo’s tumultuous Miami Grand Prix weekend.
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