In the round-up: Carlos Sainz Jnr indicates Ferrari will opt to take further power unit penalties before the French Grand Prix.
In brief
More power unit penalties to come before race, Sainz suggests
Sainz has been handed a 10-place grid drop after Ferrari installed a third control electronics unit in his car, breaching his allowance of two for the 2022 season. Speaking after practice yesterday he indicated Ferrari will opt to take further power unit penalties before the French Grand Prix, almost certainly meaning he will start the race from the back of the grid.Asked if Ferrari would consider taking a new power unit and incur more penalties, Sainz said “We will see.”
“I mean, I took 10, so you can expect what’s coming next,” he continued. “I’m focussing more in the long run because I’m not going to be in that fight for pole position given the amount of penalties.”
Nissany receives four-place grid drop for F2 sprint race
Williams development driver Roy Nissany has been given a four-place grid drop for the Formula 2 sprint race at Paul Ricard for driving infringements during the practice session.
Nissany was handed a three-place drop for rejoining the track in an unsafe manner, overtaking Oliver Caldwell off-track at turn nine, and then subsequently blocking Enzo Fittipaldi. Nissany was then hit with a further one-place drop for obstructing Caldwell at turn 15 after the pair jockeyed for position.
As he qualified in 20th place, Nissany will therefore start the sprint race 22nd and last. He is now on a total of eight penalty points.
VW Group CEO replaced by Porsche boss
Herbert Diess, the Volkswagen Group CEO since 2020 and chairman of the board since 2018, has been replaced. Diess guided the group through the aftermath of the Dieselgate emissions scandal, in which it was found to have intentionally hidden the emissions of its diesel cars.
Earlier this year, Diess announced that the VW Group intended to enter Formula 1 with its Porsche and Audi brands. Those plans may not be jeopardised by the appointment of Oliver Blume as his replacement, as Blume was the first senior member of the VW Group to have publicly foreshadowed the entry.
Blume confirmed last year Porsche would develop new battery technologies on the race track, implying a planned Formula 1 entry. Porsche currently competes in Formula E, where standard batteries are used.
Visser takes maiden W Series pole as Chadwick penalised
Beitske Visser has been awarded her first pole position in W Series after provisional pole winner Jamie Chadwick was handed a two-place grid penalty for crossing the white line at pit exit.
Chadwick will start third on the grid, behind Visser and Nerea Marti, and ahead of Marta Garcia. Abbi Pulling – who sits second in the drivers’ championship after four races – qualified down in 12th place.
“The penalty was justified,” admitted Chadwick, who is seeking her seventh consecutive win in the series. “It was my mistake and I knew I’d done it straight away so I was a bit nervous about it in the session. It wasn’t anything intentional, with the low light and the way the white lines are with the reflections it was a bit hard to see.”
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Social media
Notable posts from Twitter, Instagram and more:
Nothing like driving at home 🇫🇷 #FrenchGP pic.twitter.com/PticCHi1BR
— Esteban Ocon (@OconEsteban) July 22, 2022
Never
— Valtteri Bottas (@ValtteriBottas) July 22, 2022
All of us at @AstonMartinF1 are devastated to hear of the passing of 18yr old apprentice, Jake Pedley.
Our thoughts are with Jake’s family, friends and colleagues at this hugely difficult time.
The team will carry Jake’s name on the AMR22 at this weekend’s French GP. pic.twitter.com/E6oBU5tdZd
— Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team (@AstonMartinF1) July 22, 2022
A very sad day for the highlights team as we say goodbye to the incredible @tombowker ❤️
Tom's mission was to give F1 a digital presence, and I think it's fair to say he succeeded in that 😀
F1 will miss you greatly 😔 pic.twitter.com/OsZQtHNFJ1
— Dom Smith (@ItsOnlyDom) July 22, 2022
The FIA pays tribute to former Rally driver Paddy Hopkirk, who passed away at the age of 89. Starting his career in 1955, he won 5 Circuit of Ireland & the Rallye Monte Carlo in 1964. He was member of the @BRDCSilverstone since 1967. Our thoughts are with his family and friends. pic.twitter.com/UuLcin35Jd
— FIA (@fia) July 22, 2022
@f1elvis The making of #F122
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- Find more official F1 accounts to follow in the F1 Twitter Directory
Links
Motor racing links of interest:
Abbi Pulling: ‘It’s possible a woman can be in F1 in the next five years’ (Guardian)
"I think it’s possible a female can be in F1 in the next five years. I would like it to be myself but regardless, it shows the direction motorsport is going in and how positive it is on the female side at the moment."
Ferrari must make tough Charles Leclerc choice now to close Max Verstappen gap (Mirror)
"But F1 can be a cruel sport and there can simply be no room for sentiment when it comes to Ferrari's decision over a lead driver. At some point they will have to decide who to prioritise, and Leclerc has generally proven himself to be faster this year when neither car has suffered from reliability issues."
"I haven’t won a hundred races but I’ve won enough to kind of let people know that I can do this. I think one thing I’ve always shown is: give me a winning car and I’ll cross the line first. I feel like I’ve never left a win on the table."
Michael Schumacher’s race-winning 1998 Ferrari F300 is coming up for auction (Top Gear)
"For the first time in its history, the F300 is now being publicly offered for sale at RM Sotheby’s Monterey auction next month. And considering it’s a) a red Ferrari, b) been driven by Michael Schumacher, and c) a bona-fide race-winning car, it’s gonna be expensive."
iRacing given ‘freedom to design’ Chicago street course (Racer)
"Scanning Grant Park’s streets and crafting the circuit in iRacing prior to the event has allowed for problems to be discovered before NASCAR haulers arrive in July of next year. One key issue was the roughness of the streets, and iRacing provided NASCAR with three pages of notes on the track and recommendations for changes. Among those recommendations was a total repave of the track due to the roughness in some areas."
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 in via the contact form.
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Comment of the day
Why do some race winning drivers appear to struggle in some cars when they have previously looked imperious in others? Adaptability is a key trait, says @petebaldwin
The best drivers can adapt to what they’re driving. Look at someone like Alonso – he has massively changed his driving style over the years and has had a lot of success doing so.
Other drivers have success when a car suits them but when it doesn’t, they struggle. Vettel and Ricciardo are examples of that. They drive how they drive and if the car is a good match they’ll be quick.
petebaldwin
Happy birthday!
Happy birthday to Matt and Lalit Palaparthy!
On this day in motorsport
- On this day in 1989 Andrea Chiesa won the Formula 3000 round on the super-fast Enna circuit. However a string of crashes meant that out of the 26 starters only he, Claudio Langes, Eddie Irvine, Marco Apicella and Gary Evans finished
F1 frog (@f1frog)
23rd July 2022, 0:43
If this is indeed the final Grand Prix at Paul Ricard, I wonder if it would ever be possible to move the French Grand Prix back to public roads safely (although barriers would of course be required nowadays), in the style of Reims-Gueux or Rouen-Les-Essarts. It isn’t quite what Liberty Media want in their Super Bowl-style vision but a street track in the French countryside would be far more interesting than a street track that is part of a city car park. Considering its history, it would be a shame to lose the French Grand Prix from the calendar altogether.
Jere (@jerejj)
23rd July 2022, 7:57
@f1frog
Interesting suggestions & I wouldn’t mind, but ultimately Nice would be a more likely choice for a temporary circuit location.
Ancient1 (@ancient1)
23rd July 2022, 4:33
Thank you for the memories. RIP Brick Meister Paddy H.
Jere (@jerejj)
23rd July 2022, 7:54
Pretty inevitable.
RIP Jake & Paddy Hopkirk, although I initially didn’t know who either was.
A woman racing in F1 in the next five years, time will tell, but at least slightly more unlikely than likely.
A valid COTD.
KaIIe (@kaiie)
23rd July 2022, 13:29
The NASCAR/iRacing co-operation is really interesting. F1 could use something like that in the future: just laser scan a suggested route in a city and see if it works in a simulation, if not, then make some changes or scrap the whole idea.