In the round-up: Fernando Alonso says he has been driving with an injured hand since crashing in qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix
In letter
Alonso carrying hand injuries since Melbourne
Fernando Alonso says he has been driving with an injured hand since crashing in qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix in April.
Alonso crashed in the final sector of the Albert Park circuit on his first flying lap in Q3 when his Alpine suffered hydraulic failure, denying him any engine braking and seeing him crash into the tire wall. The double world champion says he has been coping with hand injuries from the accident ever since.
“Bones, ligaments, tendons – everything is a mess at the moment,” Alonso said. “I need two or three months. There is no surgery, nothing you can do – just rest. Unfortunately, every two weeks I have to drive. So I try to rest at home, but it will take a few months.”
Wolff not satisfied with “gifted” podiums
Toto Wolff says he and Mercedes will not be satisfied until the team are earning podiums on pace once more, rather than being “gifted” podiums.
Mercedes sit third in the constructors’ championship on 134 points – 101 leaders behind Red Bull. Mercedes have taken three podium appearances in seven races: one for Lewis Hamilton in Bahrain and two for George Russell in Australia and Spain. Wolff says he wants Mercedes to start earning top three finishes on pure merit as soon as possible.
“In the past, we had a few podiums before, but this is only when something goes wrong in the front,” Wolff said.
“At the moment, I don’t want anything gifted for us. Our team is only third on the road and that’s why the positions of fifth and sixth are where we belong to, but this is not where we want to be. If you’re inheriting a podium, that is nice – it’s good for the points long term – but I don’t want any of that. I want to be part of winning in the front and this important lesson that we learn here and is going to be the basis of us performing long term again.”
Aron heads Beganovic in FREC Paul Ricard race one
Mercedes junior driver Paul Aron took victory in the first of two Formula Regional European Championship (FREC) races this weekend at Paul Ricard.
The Prema driver beat team mate and Ferrari academy driver Dino Beganovic to jump from third on the grid and win his second race of the season with a margin of victory of just under a second. MP Motorsport’s Michael Belov took the final podium position in third.
Beganovic increased his points lead in the championship to a commanding 65 points over Hadrien David in the standings. Race two takes place this afternoon.
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Motor racing links of interest:
Alex Palou on rumored Arrow McLaren SP interest: ‘I’m happy where I am’ (Indy Star)
“I’m happy where I am, and just because somebody is interested doesn’t mean that I’m actively looking for a place for the future.”
I see long-term future for Formula E in India: Co-founder Alberto Longo (Indian Economic Times)
“India is a massive market for us, a tier 1 market for us. You don’t know what the future brings but the intention is to stay there for a long time. It won’t be a 20-year contract to start with . It would be a medium term deal and hopefully we extend it four or five years.”
Automobilista 2 V1.3.7.1 RELEASED (Reiza Studios via Steam)
” F-USA, F-V12, F-V10 G1, F-V10 G2, F-Reiza, Group C, GT5 & G40 Cup now join the list of cars to have received extensive physics updates, with another substantial update also included for the Super V8. The update also features extensive AI calibration to all classes which have already received the latest physics updates.”
Why ‘smart, capable’ Sainz can still be a factor in the 2022 title fight (source)
“I just need to be a bit quicker. I need one or two tenths, in terms of qualifying and race pace. If I find those one or two tenths I found in the second half of last year with last year’s car, the earlier I find them, the earlier the win will come. I’ve been working hard to find them.”
Formula E round 9: Jakarta (Formula E via YouTube)
Formula Regional Europe round 7: Paul Ricard (Formula Regional Europe via YouTube)
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On this day in motorsport
- On this day in 1977 Gunnar Nilsson scored his only F1 victory in the Belgian Grand Prix at Zolder, which was briefly led by David Purely in the obscure LEC entry
