Antonelli crashes five laps into Mercedes debut

Mercedes junior Andrea Kimi Antonelli crashed out of practice just 10 minutes into his FP1 debut at the Italian Grand Prix. Antonelli was making his first appearance during a race weekend for Mercedes, having been heavily tipped to be confirmed as …

Mercedes junior Andrea Kimi Antonelli crashed out of practice just 10 minutes into his FP1 debut at the Italian Grand Prix.

Antonelli was making his first appearance during a race weekend for Mercedes, having been heavily tipped to be confirmed as Lewis Hamilton’s replacement at some stage over the coming days at Monza. The Italian had already completed Formula 2 practice earlier in the day when he jumped in the W15, but managed just five laps before crashing.

Having gone fastest on his first timed lap on soft tires, Antonelli was on his second attempt and looking set to regain top spot from teammate Hamilton when he lost control at Parabolica — the high-speed final right hander of the lap — and went spinning into the barrier.

Antonelli suffered a heavy impact but reported to the team on the radio that he was OK, with the session red flagged immediately to recover the car and rearrange the tire barrier on the outside of the corner.

Mercedes confirmed it has spares of the new floor that Antonelli was running, but the team will have to assess any potential damage to the power unit — one of George Russell’s allocation — after fitting a complete new engine for the Monza weekend.

F1 safety car crashes during Monza high-speed test

The Formula 1 safety car crashed during the regular high-speed test ahead of the Italian Grand Prix. F1 and the FIA always run a high-speed track test on the Thursday of a race weekend, allowing the safety car and the medical car to complete a …

The Formula 1 safety car crashed during the regular high-speed test ahead of the Italian Grand Prix.

F1 and the FIA always run a high-speed track test on the Thursday of a race weekend, allowing the safety car and the medical car to complete a number of laps and ensure all race control systems are operating correctly. On the latest occasions at Monza, the safety car — at the hands of experienced driver Bernd Maylander — spun off the track at high speed at Parabolica.

The car slid through the gravel and into the mix of Techpro and tire barrier, with both Maylander and his passenger unhurt in the incident and able to climb out of the car unaided.

“There was an on-track incident with the FIA safety car today at Monza,” the FIA confirmed in a statement, “Aston Martin is investigating the cause but can confirm both driver and passenger are fine. There is an additional safety car at the circuit and it will not impact the weekend’s event.”

The FIA always brings two of each of the safety car and medical car to grand prix events, ensuring there is a back-up incase of any incidents. Aston Martin became one of the safety car suppliers in 2021, joining previous manufacturer Mercedes in a shared agreement across each season.

Colapinto eager to make the most of ‘insane’ Williams opportunity

Although he admits his preparations for the Italian Grand Prix have been limited, Franco Colapinto describes the opportunity Williams has given him to race in Formula 1 as “insane” and one he is ready to take. Williams opted to drop Logan Sargeant …

Williams opted to drop Logan Sargeant following the Dutch Grand Prix, where the American crashed heavily in FP3 and severely damaged an upgraded car, with Formula 2 racer Colapinto chosen as his replacement. The Argentinian rookie says the call came extremely late and was unexpected, but that he feels ready to take on the challenge at Monza.

“For you to imagine, Monday I was in the Formula 2 sim preparing for the race here in Monza with my team, so you can imagine how late it was!” said Colapinto (pictured above walking the track with Williams engineers) said. “I don’t know when they were thinking about but it’s an opportunity that I feel ready for and waiting for for so, so long.

“As a young kid I was always dreaming of this coming through and happening, so today to be here speaking to all of you, it’s a pleasure and I am extremely grateful we have got this opportunity.

“It came very late, of course, but although I am ready I was not expecting it, to be honest. I cannot explain how happy I am to be here with Williams — they have been very supportive and the opportunity they have given me is insane.”

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1388]

Colapinto concedes he hasn’t had a lot of time to prepare specifically for this race weekend, but believes his work in the Williams simulator as a member of the team’s young driver academy has helped give him a good chance of adapting quickly.

“Well, not a lot [of preparation]! You can imagine I have a lot of preparation to race in F2 and do a good job. But we have done, in a very short period of time, a lot of things,” he said. “It’s only Thursday and in the very small amount of time we have had, we have worked very well. I prepared a seat, prepared in the simulator very well and the race engineers are giving me information and tips to be quick as soon as possible and to make that learning process a bit quicker.

“Luckily, I have a privilege to be in the simulator so young [as a Williams academy driver], because it prepares me a little bit more for F1, to go through a lot of the process because you have so many things to do in the car. So to do laps and laps and laps in there, it prepares me to be a little bit more comfortable today — I know the [steering] wheel and things that are sometimes a bit difficult.

“I think especially with a few races [completed], I will be a little bit more relaxed and I am trying to go step by step.”

The 21-year-old says he has spoken to Sargeant since the decision and feels for the American, but rejected the notion that his only target would be to bring the car home in one piece over the remaining nine races.

“I am a rookie and a rookie in Formula 2 as well, so I am not expecting much. I want to go step by step and focus on myself,” he said. “To be able to be focused on my job and to do what the team expects, to be honest I am more than sure that I can do it. So I cannot wait to jump in the car tomorrow.”

Racing on TV, August 30-September 2

All times Eastern; live broadcasts unless noted. Friday, August 30 Italian GP practice 1 7:25-8:30am Italian GP practice 2 10:55am- 12:00pm Milwaukee practice 1 3:35-6:00pm Saturday, August 31 Italian GP practice 3 6:25-7:30am Aragon sprint 8:30- …

All times Eastern; live broadcasts unless noted.

Friday, August 30

Italian GP
practice 1

7:25-8:30am

Italian GP
practice 2

10:55am-
12:00pm

Milwaukee
practice 1

3:35-6:00pm

Saturday, August 31

	Italian GP practice 3	6:25-7:30am
	Aragon sprint	8:30- 10:00am
	Italian GP qualifying	9:55- 11:00am
	Darlington qualifying	10:30am
	Darlington qualifying	12:30-2:30pm
	Milwaukee qualifying	2:15-3:15pm
	CTMP TA/TA2	2:15-3:30pm
	Darlington	3:00-3:30pm pre-race 3:30-6:00pm race
	Milwaukee	3:50-5:05pm
	COTA race 1	5:35-6:25pm
	Milwaukee race 1	5:40-8:00pm
	COTA race 1	7:05-8:05pm

Sunday, September 1

	Italian GP	7:30-8:55am pre-race 8:55-11:00am race
	Aragon GP	7:30-10:00am
	COTA race 2	9:35-10:25am
	COTA race 2	10:45- 11:40am
	US Nationals qualifying 1	1:00-3:00pm
	COTA – start	1:30-3:00pm
	Milwaukee race 2	2:30-3:00pm pre-race 3:00-5:30pm race
	US Nationals FC All Star Callout	5:00-6:30pm
	Darlington	5:30-6:00pm pre-race 6:00-10:30pm race
	US Nationals qualifying 2	6:30-8:30pm
	COTA – finish	7:00-8:30pm
	DuQuoin	8:30-10:30pm

Monday, September 2

	US Nationals finals 1	12:00-2:00pm
	US Nationals finals 2	2:00-5:00pm

Key: SDD: Same day delay; D = delayed; R = Replay

FIA WEC is available on Max’s B/R Sports Add-On in addition to Motor Trend. Check your streaming provider for air times

MotoGP is now airing live on TruTV and Max’s B/R Sports Add-On. Check your streaming provider for air times

A variety of motor racing is available for streaming on demand at the following sites:

MAVTV.com

MotorTrendOnDemand.com

Ferrari counting on Monza updates to recharge title challenge

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur expects the Scuderia to be in the battle with Red Bull and McLaren for the constructors’ championship until the end of the season, if upgrades set to be introduced at this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix perform as …

McLaren has been closing in on Red Bull for a number of races and is now just 30 points adrift in the standings, but Ferrari only lost one point compared to the leading team and is 34 points behind McLaren in third. While Vasseur is not focusing solely on McLaren’s pace, he says the fluctuations in terms of which team has looked strongest at different points this season give hope to Ferrari as it prepares to introduce new developments at Monza.

“I’m not thinking [about McLaren], I’m just trying to do the best to push on the development to prepare for Monza in the best way and we will see where we can get,” Vasseur said. “If you remember 12 months ago in Zandvoort I think in the race we were P5 and P24, in qualifying we were nowhere, and the week after we were in pole position.

“That doesn’t mean that we will be in pole position [this weekend] but it’s been like this since the beginning of the season. I think after three races everyone was convinced that Max [Verstappen] will be champion mid-season, and then we won some races, then it was McLaren, then Mercedes, now McLaren, and I hope it will be Ferrari back soon.

“We just have to keep the same approach. We don’t have to try to draw conclusions about where we will be in six races. The fight is huge –everybody is pushing like hell. Everybody is bringing upgrades as soon as possible — it will be our turn this week — and it will be like this until the end of the season.

“Today I think the gap between Red Bull and us is something like 60 points — 60 points is a bit more than a good weekend.”

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1388]

Fernando Alonso singled Ferrari out as the team to beat at the upcoming races in Monza and Baku, and while Vasseur believes the tracks will suit his car more, he says the field is too close to have any confidence in who will be fastest.

“I don’t need someone telling me we are the favorite or not, I will have the same approach in any case,” Vasseur said. “I hope we will be in better shape over the next three events. We were in much better shape last year on these three tracks. Again it’s a matter of details — the fact that we are in better shape in short corners will help us, and if you are able to do a step of one or two tenths it’s a game changer.

“But we know also that everybody is improving. We know also [in Zandvoort] we still had a big gap to Lando [Norris] and we were quite far away. It means we have a lot of work to do, and I will never go to Monza or Baku with the feeling that it will be an easy one.”

Antonelli’s FP1 debut for Mercedes to come at Monza

Team principal Toto Wolff has confirmed Andrea Kimi Antonelli will make his FP1 debut for Mercedes at next weekend’s Italian Grand Prix. Antonelli, who turned 18 on Sunday at the Dutch Grand Prix, has been heavily linked with the race seat that is …

Team principal Toto Wolff has confirmed Andrea Kimi Antonelli will make his FP1 debut for Mercedes at next weekend’s Italian Grand Prix.

Antonelli, who turned 18 on Sunday at the Dutch Grand Prix, has been heavily linked with the race seat that is being vacated by Lewis Hamilton next year. While Wolff wouldn’t be drawn on whether a potential deal could be announced at Monza, he says it will be a special moment for the Italian youngster to make his first FP1 appearance at his home race.

“We’re going to do an FP1 with Kimi in Monza, which is going to be a really emotional moment,” Wolff said. “We’ve followed him since he was 11 and a baby go-kart driver, with a Mercedes kit, proud to be in the garage… To see him drive out on Friday in FP1, in Monza, in front of the tifosi, having an Italian kid in a competitive car, I think that will be something that everybody in Italy can be very proud of. Then we’ll take it from there.”

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1388]

While Antonelli will be in the Mercedes on Friday, his name has been linked with experience at Williams should Logan Sargeant be replaced, but amid growing speculation about Sargeant’s future, Wolff insists Antonelli is not an option for that seat.

“Between [Williams team principal] James Vowles and myself, we have super-transparent discussions and relationship. James was part of developing Kimi and finding Kimi. I think what’s best for him is to continue the program as we have decided, with the TPC [Testing of Previous Car] testing and F2, and see how that goes, rather than disrupting our plan and giving him the opportunity in a Williams. That’s the decision we have taken.”

Wolff says he’d like to see reserve driver Mick Schumacher get an opportunity to race at Williams if the team opts to replace Sargeant.

“I would very much hope that Mick gets the chance, because we haven’t seen the real Mick. You’re not winning F4, F3 and F2 and then you’re not performing in F1… I think he deserves a chance. If the opportunity would be at Williams it’s something that we would be cheering for. But it’s James Vowles’ decision.”

How Monza strength boosted Ferrari confidence in its development plan

The strong performance from Ferrari at the Italian Grand Prix provides a boost of confidence for the entire team that it understands how to develop its car for the future, according to the team’s senior performance engineer, Jock Clear. Carlos Sainz …

Carlos Sainz took pole position with Charles Leclerc third in qualifying, and the pair finished third and fourth respectively in the race after making the Red Bulls work hard to overtake them. Clear says the fact Ferrari targeted Monza as a circuit it could be strong at, and then upgraded its car in a way that proved productive at that venue, bodes well for its plans moving forward.

“I think the most important thing about a weekend like (Monza) is to understand why you are better off,” Clear said. “Coming into this race we were confident that we understood enough about the car to know that we would be competitive here, and that’s the most encouraging thing for next year, for any year, when you understand what you are doing.

“When you get anomalies, and we’ve had a couple earlier on in the season where we didn’t understand — not specifically overall circuits, but there are some places where in some corners we just couldn’t work out why we were so slow in some corners — so you really have to scratch your head and say there’s something we are missing here.

“To come to Monza and have the car perform exactly how we expected it to, is a real fillip for all the design team and the aero department, because that is an affirmation that we know what we are doing — we understand what the car is doing and therefore what we are projecting for next year, we have every confidence is realistic.”

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1388]

With a focus on being more competitive in 2024, Clear says Ferrari is unlikely to bring any major updates to its car across the final eight races, although he wouldn’t rule out developments that could be brought forward.

“I think there will be little bits here and there. I don’t think there is going to be anything big,” Clear said. “We will have to see — that decision I don’t think is absolutely made because we are keen to make sure we go into next year with confidence and that means you want to finish the year strongly. If there are things that we think will carry over and be relevant, it would be sensible to get them on the car and get the confidence and some track time on those pieces before February next year.”

Williams won’t stand a chance until Vegas – Albon

Alex Albon views his points in the Italian Grand Prix as particularly crucial because he feels Williams won’t be in with a chance of scoring again until the penultimate Formula 1 round in Las Vegas. Williams has been quick on low-downforce circuits …

Williams has been quick on low-downforce circuits this season but also delivered an impressive weekend in Zandvoort, where Albon finished eighth. He backed that up with seventh in Monza at a track where the team had targeted a good result, and Albon believes it’s an important result for the team’s hopes of securing seventh in the constructors’ championship given the likely competitive order at the upcoming races.

“I think it’s a good step,” Albon said. “I worry about tracks like Brazil, these kind of races. But I hope we’re in a better place now. We needed that, because in the next few races we’re not really going to stand a chance, until Vegas. So, not to say that we’re gonna take our foot off the pedal but… a good points finish here was what we needed.”

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1388]

Williams is now 10 points clear of Haas in seventh place in the constructors’ championship, having been level prior to Zandvoort. Despite the good result, Albon says it was a particularly tough afternoon in Monza under pressure from Oscar Piastri and then Lando Norris because of the relative strengths and weaknesses of his car compared to the McLaren.

“It was tricky because we were really weak in the last corner. We’re actually good through Ascari, but slow in Turn 11, and they would always catch me up through there. The degradation was huge and Logan (Sargeant) and myself, we thought it was going to be a really tough race.

“We didn’t have the pace, but we had the straight-line speed, and that was what kept Lando behind. I think obviously he must be very frustrated. I would be. And we were just about good enough in Turn 1 on the brakes, that even though they have more downforce than us, it’s not a clean overtake for them — you could see every time they tried to outbrake me, they tended to go wide.”

Albon points to high temperatures as one of the reasons why Williams was struggling more than he’d hoped, expecting similar outcomes if faced with hot events as Formula 1 embarks on flyaway races until the end of the season.

“I think we still see our weaknesses. We are low-downforce — we are better than we were last year, but especially when the track gets hot and the deg is high we really struggle. And (Monza) was a race where we struggled, on a track that should suit us.

“I think if the track was 20 degrees cooler we would have been really fast, maybe near that kind of where we qualified (in sixth). But… some work to do. We go to Asia now, it gets hot, go to America, it’s kind of hot as well there.”

No team orders was the right call at Monza, says Ferrari’s Vasseur

Fred Vasseur said he was proud of Ferrari’s approach in allowing Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc to fight throughout the Italian Grand Prix, and of how the drivers responded. Sainz had started from pole position with Leclerc third, and the pair …

Fred Vasseur said he was proud of Ferrari’s approach in allowing Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc to fight throughout the Italian Grand Prix, and of how the drivers responded.

Sainz had started from pole position with Leclerc third, and the pair raced closely with Max Verstappen before he took the lead on lap 15. After another battle with Sergio Perez, the pair were then left to contest the final podium position at Ferrari’s home race without the intervention of team orders.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1388]

“If I froze the positions, you would have exactly the same question – why did you freeze the situation?” Vasseur said. “For sure, it’s much easier to comment when you have a happy ending, but it was also the best way to thank everybody for the support of the Tifosi.

“On this I want to have the last call, and I told them no risks. You can race, but no risks. Of course, that is all relative, but I was much more comfortable with this situation than to freeze something.”

Sainz was the driver coming under pressure regularly but says Ferrari had already discussed how the outright pace of each car could be clouded by the impact of DRS and the slipstream at Monza, while still understanding the importance of a top three finish to each driver in front of so many Ferrari fans.

“We knew the car in DRS is always going to feel like it’s the quicker car, but we know that around this track, once you get into DRS you feel quicker and we knew that,” Sainz said. “At the same time, we know that we were both going to be fighting for a podium at Monza, so there was always going to be a bit of a fight and a bit of a battle.

“In the end we kept it clean, there were a couple of nice moves here and there, tight battles, but I enjoyed, honestly, battling Max, battling Checo, battling Charles, I think it was a good day for F1, a good show. I just did everything I could to stay in front and it worked.”

McLaren drivers ‘respect each other’ despite Monza clash

Lando Norris says there is a good level of respect between himself and Oscar Piastri after the pair made contact in the Italian Grand Prix. Piastri was emerging from the pits with Norris at full speed on the outside on the run to Turn 1, and tried …

Lando Norris says there is a good level of respect between himself and Oscar Piastri after the pair made contact in the Italian Grand Prix.

Piastri was emerging from the pits with Norris at full speed on the outside on the run to Turn 1, and tried to hold his position having been ahead of his teammate before the pit stops. But Norris was just ahead at the first chicane and Piastri made contact with the right rear of the lead McLaren, although both were able to continue unscathed as the stewards opted to take no further action.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1388]

“I guess he was just on cold tires, had a little bit of understeer,” Norris said. “I tried to leave enough of a gap… It’s very difficult to see in the mirror. I left a good gap, but just hard and cold tires, it’s not a nice combination, and I guess he just ran into my rear tire.

“No (not ideal), but I think we respect each other, we give each other space, and fortunately nothing happened, so it’s all OK.”

Norris ended up eighth after a race spent behind Alex Albon throughout, and he says the end result doesn’t necessarily reflect the car’s performance, which he says is a clear improvement from McLaren’s struggles at Spa-Francorchamps.

“I think the pace was strong. It was just very difficult to overtake, as usual, but when we didn’t have to overtake, the pace was good. We could pressure Alex the whole race, but he did a very good job, so hats off to him and Williams, they were quick this weekend and managed to stay ahead.

“I think it was the best we could have done, so happy with that. Big thanks go to the team, both at track and at the factory, for reacting after Spa and giving us a more competitive package.”