Bahrain – Syndication Server

Ricciardo angered by Tsunoda’s ‘immaturity’ after close call

Daniel Ricciardo was left angry by Yuki Tsunoda’s reaction to team orders that nearly saw the Visa Cash App RB drivers collide after the Bahrain Grand Prix. Tsunoda was unhappy that he had been told to let Ricciardo through late in the race, with …

Daniel Ricciardo was left angry by Yuki Tsunoda’s reaction to team orders that nearly saw the Visa Cash App RB drivers collide after the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Tsunoda was unhappy that he had been told to let Ricciardo through late in the race, with his teammate on soft tires and Kevin Magnussen just ahead of the pair in 12th place. Ricciardo failed to make further progress, but on the cool-down lap Tsunoda locked up heavily overtaking the Australian into Turn 8, and then swerved back onto the circuit, coming extremely close to making contact with Ricciardo.

On team radio immediately after the incident, Ricciardo described Tsunoda as a “[expletive] helmet”, but then said he’d save his criticism.

“I don’t know, I came on the radio and was trying to stay cool,” Ricciardo said afterwards. “A bit of immaturity, let’s say that.”

The 34-year-old says the team had already discussed the potential for him to need to be allowed to pass Tsunoda given their difference in strategies.

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“I’m being very sensible right now, but let’s call it immaturity. He’s obviously frustrated with the team orders call. But let’s be real, this is something we talked about before the race. It was very likely I was going to use a soft at the end of the race.

“So he knew that there was a chance that I would have a pace advantage at the end and if he gets the call, then it’s going to happen.

“He’s not giving me points, we’re fighting for 13th, so at least give us the best chance to get at least one car in the points. It’s a long year and we need to make sure we’re all good, so we’ll go back, have a meeting and be very mature about it, and look forward to Jeddah.”

Ricciardo says he would have given Tsunoda the position back at the end of the race too if asked, given the lack of points on offer, but was frustrated that the Japanese driver hadn’t heeded the team order when it was first given.

“Whether I’m 13th or 14th, I don’t know if any driver cares about that but I don’t,” Ricciardo said. “So if the team said let him back by before the finish line, I would’ve done it because it means nothing to me. Unless we’re in the points, who cares?

“I think if you’re in a points position, if he’s letting me by for ninth, he’s tenth or whatever, then you maybe swap again if I can’t get eighth. But in that situation I guess it didn’t matter. So look, it’s race one of 24. Yes, there was a little bit of conflict today, but I don’t want that to set the tone. I think we talk about it now in the briefing, honestly, and hopefully once he’s calmed down, he can say, ‘OK, yeah, I should’ve moved a lap earlier.’”

Lynn pushes Cadillac to the front in third Qatar WEC practice

The No, 2 Cadillac Racing V-Series.R ran fastest of the 19 cars in Hypercar in the final FIA WEC practice session at Qatar, Alex Lynn setting a 1m40.677s to give the team a confidence boost ahead of qualifying. The time was a fraction under two …

The time was a fraction under two tenths clear of the No. 5 Penske Porsche that ended up second, and the 0.454s up on the No. 12 Hertz Team JOTA 963 that completed the top three.

“We’re looking strong, our Cadillac is feeling good at this circuit, and the fast-flowing nature really suits us,” said Lynn, who will qualify the car later today.

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The Cadillac’s time is significant. It is not the fastest lap of the week so far, that was set by Porsche’s Kevin Estre in FP2 yesterday. However, Cadillac has been in the top five in every session — and it means that heading into qualifying, an LMH-spec prototype hasn’t topped a session in either the Prologue or during practice.

It is also the second time Cadillac has topped a Free Practice in the WEC, the other occasion being FP3 in Bahrain at the end of last season.

Could we see a first win for an LMDh prototype in WEC competition this week? This week it certainly seems more likely than at any point during the 2023 season.

Further down the order, the best of the LMH cars was the No. 94 Peugeot 9X8 that ended up fifth, half a second off the Cadillac after a qualifying sim early in the session.

The No. 51 AF Corse Ferrari ended up sixth, with the quickest Toyota down in ninth.

Of the new LMDh prototypes to the WEC, Alpine’s A424 set the fastest times, the No. 36 slotting in 12th 1.5s off the pace, ahead of the No. 35 that ended up 13th.

In LMGT3, it was the No. 27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage LMGT3 that ended up fastest, Alex Riberas setting the car’s 1m54.963s.

“The weekend so far has gone well for us, problem-free. The car is ready,” said Riberas.

The pair of Vista AF Corse 296 GT3s, which have shown strong outright pace all week ended up second and third, led by a hot lap from Davide Rigon in the No. 54. The No. 60 Iron Lynx Lamborghini finished up its running fourth.

The times in LMGT3 continue to be close, which bodes well for the race tomorrow. The top 10 set times within a second in this final practice run.

There was only one notable incident in the session, when James Cottingham in the No. 59 United Autosports McLaren ran wide through Turn 5, losing the rear end and spinning into the gravel. It caused the hour’s only red flag.

Qualifying, with the new Hyperpole format, is up next at 4pm local time.

RESULTS

Morning F1 test session ended early after Hamilton and Leclerc hit drain cover

The morning test session on day two of Formula 1 pre-season testing in Bahrain was ended early after Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc both struck a loose drain cover. Part of the drainage system on the outside of the entry curb at Turn 11 had …

The morning test session on day two of Formula 1 pre-season testing in Bahrain was ended early after Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc both struck a loose drain cover.

Part of the drainage system on the outside of the entry curb at Turn 11 had worked loose, with drivers taking a wide line into that left-hander and utilizing the entry curb to the full. With the drain cover sitting on the side of the curb, Hamilton ran over it with his right-side wheel and part of it came to rest within the white line of the track itself.

Fernando Alonso appeared to be the first driver to spot it as he swerved to avoid the debris at the last moment, catching the eye of Carlos Sainz who was watching trackside at that corner. While the Spaniard informed marshals that a yellow flag was needed to warn drivers, his Ferrari teammate Leclerc then ran over the debris, damaging his floor.

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Once the gap in the drain was then spotted, the session was red flagged and a track inspection took place while repairs were ongoing. The initial red flag came more than an hour and a half before the end of the morning session, but the FIA opted to curtail running early and bring the lunch break forward by an hour, leading to an extended five-hour session being planned from 2:00-7:00pm local time.

Leclerc was fastest at the time of the incident, but Ferrari confirmed the damage to the floor had required the team to change the component.

It is the second such incident in a matter of months for Ferrari, as the team is still in discussions regarding compensation for damage to Sainz’s car sustained when he hit a loose water valve cover during practice at the Las Vegas Grand Prix last season.

WEC Bahrain rookie test leaves good impressions all around

The 2023 FIA WEC officially came to a close Sunday in Bahrain after five hours of track time in the post-season Rookie Test. Ferrari F1 reserve driver Robert Shwartzman emerged quickest by the end of the day with a 1m48.559s in the No. 51 Ferrari …

The 2023 FIA WEC officially came to a close Sunday in Bahrain after five hours of track time in the post-season Rookie Test.

Ferrari F1 reserve driver Robert Shwartzman emerged quickest by the end of the day with a 1m48.559s in the No. 51 Ferrari 499P.

He was 0.066s quicker than Will Stevens in the HERTZ Team JOTA Porsche 963, his time set in the morning session as a reference time for Norman Nato, who reeled off a 1m49.130s in the same car during the afternoon session. That was good enough to put him third quickest overall.

“It was very nice; I really enjoyed it,” Shwartzman told the media after his run. “It’s my first time in a Hypercar and I am glad I’m with Ferrari. I tried the old tires, semi-old and new. With all of them I felt strong, with a good feeling in the car. I am happy with the 30 laps. In this short stint I got along with the car; we are good friends now!

“They wanted to show me the different stages of grip in four runs. It gave me a taste and it felt good and manageable from my side.

“I was thinking when I was driving on the new tire run, it felt similar to F2. The Hypercar feels between Formula 1 and GT; it just doesn’t have as much downforce and it’s heavy.”

Will we see him with a full-time WEC drive in the future? Is a seat in the mooted third Ferrari 499P for next year a possibility?

While non-committal concerning his 2024 plans beyond his Ferrari F1 reserve role, a Hypercar drive is on his list.

“Yes, [I could see myself racing in Hypercar],” he said. “I really hope after this test there will be an opportunity to race the hypercar and get a feel for endurance racing. For the moment [there is nothing scheduled], but I am always open to it.”

Lilou Wadoux was fifth fastest in her second consecutive Bahrain Rookie Test appearance. Last year she sampled the title-winning Toyota, this time she tried out the 499P. Her best time was a 1m49.488s.

“Today I fulfilled a dream, that of driving the 499P that won the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the most important endurance race in the world, at the end of my first year as a Prancing Horse driver,” said Wadoux.

“Last year in Bahrain I tried a Hypercar for the first time. However, this occasion was very special — I had fun putting myself to the test with this car. I savored every single lap.”

Amongst the remaining rookies in Hypercar, seventh fastest was ELMS LMP2 regular Rene Binder with a 1m49.704s in the No. 99 Proton Competition Porsche. Nico Varrone completed a 1m50.048s in the No. 2 Cadillac to go eighth quickest.

Julien Andlauer lapped the circuit in 1m50.308s in the Proton Porsche. This run came after a recent test at Portimao in one of Proton’s LMP2 cars.

Malthe Jakobsen was a rookie last year with Peugeot. He joined the team again, now as the official development driver, and managed a 1m50.568s — a time quicker than the team’s fastest lap in yesterday’s race.

Thomas Preining set a 1m50.603s in the No. 5 Porsche Penske 963, whilst Ben Barnicoat was the fastest of a trio of drivers trying out the No. 7 GR010 HYBRID. His 1m50.740s was set without the benefit of a reference time from one of the TGR factory drivers. It topped the efforts of Josh Pierson (1m51.085s) and Barnicoat’s IMSA GTD Pro teammate Jack Hawksworth (1m51.316s).

2023 ELMS Champion Kyffin Simpson was next up with a 1m51.380s in the Cadillac V-Series.R. The IndyCar Series-bound teenager told RACER he was impressed with the car.

“It was a lot of fun, honestly,” he said. “I thought it was a really cool car to drive and a new experience for me. This is a very high-tech car, which was a lot of learning. It was a great experience and I’m thankful to GM and Chip Ganassi Racing for giving me this opportunity.

“This drives a lot more like a GT car [compared to LMP2], and I found that really interesting. In the corners they struggle a little bit just because they are so heavy, and maybe they don’t have quite enough downforce for how heavy and big they are, but they have a lot of power so it gets up to speed quickly.

“Today went well. I think the team is quite happy with it. I think Nico and I were able to notice some things that the drivers who drive this all the time just kind of get accustomed to.

“Hopefully they can take that information and improve the car for next year.”

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Dutchman Job Van Uitert was the final taker amongst the non-full-season Hypercar drivers. He lapped the No. 4 Vanwall Vandervell in 1m51.680s, running significantly faster than the car managed in the race yesterday after hitting early trouble.

Just five LMP2 cars took part in the test, the times headed by F2 driver Clement Novalak, who set a 1m54.285s in the morning aboard the No. 31 Inter Europol Competition ORECA. Charles Weerts ended up second and third fastest, driving both cars, with Valentino Rossi close behind.

Rossi’s appearance, of course, attracted plenty of attention. The MotoGP legend appears to be all but confirmed for an FIA WEC LMGT3 drive with WRT next season.

Saturday, the Italian, who is here in Bahrain to test an ORECA, spoke to WEC TV during the race and confirmed that he is working on a program.

“I raced with this team for two years and it’s a very good team,” Rossi said. “I am very happy. I came here to see the race because maybe next year I will race in the WEC; we will see.

“Tomorrow I will try the LMP2 car for the first time, as I asked Vincent (Vosse) to try the car. Tomorrow would be a good option. I was very curious to drive the car.

“[To be in WEC next year] is the target. We will try.”

Interestingly, he was wearing overalls featuring BMW, WEC and Goodyear patches Sunday, and completed 67 laps in one of WRT’s 2023 WEC ORECAs, which was sporting a new number: 46.

Rossi’s best time was a 1m55.118s in the Afternoon Session putting him third in class. It was 0.8s off Team WRT teammate Charles Weerts, who drove both WRT ORECAs and posted the second-fastest time in P2.

In the No. 9 PREMA ORECA, Harry Tincknell set reference times for both Mikkel Pedersen (1m57.260s) and PJ Hyett (1m57.570s), the AO Racing driver set to form part of a two-car Asian Le Mans Series effort with the ex-PREMA cars next month.

Four GTE cars took part in the test. The times were topped by Lorenzo Patrese in the No. 83 Richard Mille AF Corse 488, with a 1m58.261s. Second quickest of the rookies in the No. 54 AF Corse car was Nicola Marinangeli with a 2m00.091s.

Corvette Racing fielded nominated rookie Antoin Doquin, who managed a 2m01.035s. The late addition to the roster, Timur Boguslavskiy, who appears to be set a 2m01.450s.

Finally, the No. 21 AF Corse 488 GTE EVO was driven throughout the day by WEC returnee Christoph Ulrich. The Swiss driver posted a 2m01.498s in the morning session, finishing the day with the bittersweet double of a final red flag in GTE history for a minor off at Turn 10, before becoming the final driver in GTE Am to complete a competitive lap.

The No. 21 was the final car to pit, ending the final official session ever for the class.

AM SESSION RESULTS

PM SESSION RESULTS

Lewis Hamilton explica por qué va a cambiar su nombre para honrar a su mamá

El siete veces campeón de la Formula 1 se volvió oficialmente Sir Lewis Hamilton en diciembre cuando Charles, Príncipe de Gales, lo nombró caballero. Después de obtener tan notable título, Hamilton ha dicho que está cambiando su nombre completo. O …

En la Expo Dubái 2022 el lunes previo al comienzo de la temporada de la F1 en el Grand Prix de Bahréin este fin de semana, Hamilton explicó su proceso para cambiar su nombre para que incluya el nombre de soltera de su Carmen, Larbalestier.

Indicó que no se está quitando el “Hamilton” pero que está en proceso de incluir también el nombre de su madre, mientras inicia su lucha por un récord octavo título de la F1.

El piloto de Mercedes dijo a través de ESPN (Aquí está el video):

“Significaría todo para mi familia (ganar un octavo título),” dijo Hamilton. “Significaría mucho para mí sabiendo, por ejemplo, estoy muy orgulloso de mi apellido, Hamilton”

“Puede que ninguno de ustedes sepa que el apellido de mi mamá es Larbaliester, y estoy a punto de incluírlo en mi nombre.”

“No entiendo muy bien la idea de que cuando la gente se casa, la mujer pierde su apellido, y realmente quiero que el nombre de mi mamá continúe junto con el Hamilton,” agregó.

Hamilton no anunció cuándo espera que el cambio de nombre sea oficial. pero se rió de la idea que iba a ser para ese fin de semana en el Grand Prix de Bahráin.

Y a pesar que ESPN reportó que Hamilton no especificó como quedaría su nombre, la BBC reportó que Larbalestier sería su segundo nombre.