Hamilton hopes young drivers use Vettel’s example
Lewis Hamilton is hoping Sebastian Vettel’s efforts to highlight issues outside of Formula One will set an example to young drivers to use their platform for “something far, far bigger.” Vettel announced his retirement bringing to an end his fifteen-year career at the end of the season in Budapest.
Along with Hamilton, Vettel has been a leading voice for issues outside of F1 in recent years, placing particular focus on the climate crisis and environmental issues facing the world currently, as well as issues such as LGBTQ+ rights and activism against racism.
Hamilton hoped Vettel’s efforts to speak up in recent years would help inspire the next generation of drivers coming through to use their public standing through F1 in a similar way. Over the last few years, the duo at times have acted as the sports moral compass through the pandemic, human rights issues and the war in Ukraine, just a few examples.
The Englishman told Motorsport.com, “Ultimately I think that in general we often stand on the shoulders of greats from the past, whether it’s in this sport or other sports. I really hope he inspires the next generation.”
“Whether it’s this one or the younger generation that will be coming through, to be more confident in utilising their platform, realising it’s not just about them and their car. It’s about something far, far bigger than being here. I really hope we see more people like him.”
Vettel has been a director for the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association since 2010, serving as a key figure to discuss F1 safety standards and speak up for the drivers. A number of his peers have expressed the hope that Vettel will continue in the role even after ending his racing career.
Hamilton said he was unsure what Vettel had planned for life after F1, but was confident the German was “going to be great, if he applies himself the way he has here with the bravery and sheer determination he’s had.”
Hamilton now aged thirty-seven is the second oldest driver on the grid, and shows no sign of retiring in the short term. He has also dismissed the suggestion that F1 would be worse off when the established guard and experienced world champions such as him and Alonso were no longer racing.
Hamilton said, “We’re hoping that our work leads it to a better place. That’s the work that I’ve tried to do, what Seb’s been trying to do here, really igniting the fire of sparking conversations, to leave the place a better sport than it was when we found it.”
Budapest justifies Mercedes sticking with concept
George Russell believes that his pole position and Mercedes double podium finish at the Hungarian Grand Prix justifies its decision to stick with its current concept. The eight times constructors champion has struggled this season to match Red Bull and Ferrari because of the bouncing and porpoising issues the team has faced.
However, in the six races before the summer break, Russell or teammate Lewis Hamilton have finished on the podium including double podiums in Le Castellet and Budapest. In Hungary as well, the Englishman took his maiden pole position and lead the early part of the race, before ultimately finishing third behind Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Hamilton second.
Asked by Motorsport.com if the recent improvement in form was enough to justify sticking with the existing car concept for the rest of the year, Russell said he doubted a change would have a huge impact. Adding “don’t think changing car concept is going to make us go any faster, maybe the contrary to be honest. Sometimes you’ve just got to stick to the process and keep on pushing.”
“And that’s difficult to do when you’re off the pace and things don’t seem to be going your way. But I believe in every single person within our team, and I think we’re making huge progress for the time being. We saw with the job we did [in qualifying], you saw with the pace that both of us showed [in the race].”
Despite many of the midfield teams switching to a Red Bull or Ferrari concept, Mercedes remains committed to what’s been described as the zero or no sidepod concept which turned heads in testing. Although it says it is looking at “combinations of different concepts” for next year.
Mercedes CEO and team principal Toto Wolff felt the practice struggles the team faced in France and Hungary had helped it find the right direction with the car, allowing it to be more competitive.
Wolff said, “It was a difficult weekend overall, because the suffering of Friday [in Hungary] was just big when we didn’t really know which direction to look at. Maybe getting it so wrong on Friday was helpful in getting it very right, almost completely right, on Sunday.”
Alpine has no issue bringing back Ricciardo
Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer says the team would have no issue in bringing Daniel Ricciardo back to the team if they cannot resolve the Oscar Piastri contract saga. The French manufacturer has been at the centre of the driver market, after Fernando Alonso shocked the team by signing for Aston Martin.
Meanwhile, their planned replacement Oscar Piastri sensationally refuted their announcement and insisted he will be driving elsewhere next season. That statement by the South African has put Ricciardo back in line for a return to the French manufacturer after two years at McLaren.
Ricciardo has a contract for 2023 but reports late last week stated that McLaren had told him they are planning to replace him. Should Piastri be taking Ricciardo’s seat, a solution for all parties may be Ricciardo to Alpine. Since leaving Red Bull at the end of 2018, both with Renault/Alpine and McLaren the Australian has appeared to struggle more following the change of regulations.
Meanwhile, Alpine are adamant, even in light of Piastri’s claims, that their current reserve driver has an obligation to drive for them next season but if that does not happen, the French outfit are not ruling out Ricciardo. Szafnauer told Autosport, “I mean, if you look at Fernando, for example, he comes and goes, and I think that happens to other drivers too.”
“I don’t think that’s an issue at all. I think what we need to focus on is, like I say, the plans that we have for the next 89-88 races. We’ve got to make sure that we complement that plan with the best driver that we can, and there are some options out there for us.”
He said the team has put the best driver, Piastri, next to Esteban Ocon so they can move forwards with what they have been planning. Szafnauer was also quoted in the Spanish media as saying Ricciardo was a “good recommendation”.
Leaked documents reveal date of Vegas
A leaked document obtained by Sport Business Journal say F1 and the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority agreed in March to hold the Las Vegas Grand Prix on 16-18 November 2023, and to continue to hold the race on the weekend prior to Thanksgiving in following years.
Earlier this year it was announced the city would forty-year hiatus next season as a night race, after getting all the agreements and permissions necessary to use the Las Vegas city streets and run its cars past some of the city’s major casinos.
A letter of intent from Liberty Dice, a new entity created by the sport’s owner Liberty Media, lays out the terms of the five-year deal for the F1 race on a track that includes a section on Vegas’s world-famous ‘Strip’.
The letter commits to keeping this same weekend slot for the five-year duration, and that the schedule for the night race will be planned so that track activity will end no later than 01:30am PST (07:30 GMT) each day.
The document also lays out the commercial terms of the event, as well as the groundwork for the temporary street circuit’s construction and maintenance. It includes guidelines for a requirement of 900 marshals, 1,200 fire extinguishers, 15 cranes and 18 ambulances and tow trucks.
What wasn’t included were the plans for the permanent pit and race control facility, which Liberty CEO Greg Maffei revealed in May would be built on a plot of nearby land in central Vegas purchased for $240million.
Maffei said: “Notably and differently than most places, F1 and Liberty Media are self-promoting the race in partnership with local stakeholders and Live Nation. The build out for this track will require increased CapEx and OpEx to develop.”
“I would note that Liberty Media did enter an agreement to acquire 39 acres east of the strip to lock in circuit design and create capacity for the pit and paddock, among other hospitality and race support venues.”
Call of Duty does war Singapore
The developers of Call of Duty: Infinity Ward have announced the Marina Bay Street Circuit will be a playable map in the next game. Formula One has seen a boom in popularity in recent years largely because of Netflix’s Drive to Survive, which has ushered in a legion of new fans to the racing series.
As a result, numerous Hollywood films about F1 are said to be in development, while the series now has a wider mainstream platform. This popularity has also filtered through to F1’s Esports platforms, with more gamers getting involved in the yearly F1 releases from Codemasters and EA.
The latest move announced by the developers revealed on Sunday night that the Marina Bay Street Circuit in Singapore will be a playable six vs six-player map in its next game Modern Warfare 2. The full game is released on 28 October on Playstation and Xbox consoles, as well as PC, the first Beta trial for the game launches on Playstation for early access pre-orders on 16-17 September.
In a video teaser released by Infinity Ward, it appears as if the map will cover parts of Marina Bay’s pitlane and paddock complex – though no actual F1 branding is present in the clip, suggesting no partnership has been made with the series.
A brief statement from Infinity Ward on the new F1-inspired map read: “The Modern Warfare II Beta is set to feature a robust multiplayer experience going beyond the Core 6v6 experience with a variety of meticulously designed maps of various sizes, and an equally impressive set of Modes, Progression experiences, and other aspects that will be more thoroughly revealed at Call of Duty: Next.”
The night race will return to the calendar at the end of next month, 30 September – 02 October following a two-year hiatus caused by the pandemic.
