All the latest news from the racing world!
F1
It sounds as though the Andretti deal to buy Sauber’s F1 team is off the table, apparently due to a lack of funds, or they just don’t think it is worth spending that amount of money. $250 million is the reported figure that Sauber are asking for, to buy the bank which owns 80% of the team. It is obviously a shame to see the deal fall through, as there was a lot of potential positives to it happening, and I am surprised Liberty Media didn’t get more involved.
Ocon has said that COTA was on the limit in terms of the bumps at the Grand Prix last weekend. Having been under major scrutiny for the MotoGP race earlier this month, there are serious concerns about the longevity of the track. There is a resurfacing scheduled before either series returns, however, it could well only be a few years before the problem returns, and I doubt it is financially viable to resurface that often. Which makes a return to Indy even more likely!
IndyCar
Hulkenberg seemed to enjoy his first ever run in an IndyCar, and was pretty much on the pace with the other runners out there. McLaren say he is towards the front of their list for next year, and Nico believes he is ready for IndyCar, as the ‘F1 train has probably left’. I agree with him there, and think much like for Grosjean, it is a great way to revive the career of someone who didn’t quite make it in F1.
Vandoorne is also reportedly set to test the McLaren car, as the team goes all out to try and find the best driver for next year, in their 3rd car. The influx of star European drivers, clearly shows the direction that IndyCar is going in, and harks back to their previous heyday, when a certain Mansell came over.
MotoGP
Quartararo has apparently brought positivity for Yamaha, which is not surprising given his general persona. I think he was the breath of fresh air that Yamaha needed, as Vinales and Rossi were never able to quite get to where they needed to be. It was clear that they were still a rough diamond in 2020, and now he and the team have smoothed everything out, to become formidable indeed.
Vinales thinks he had the pace for the podium in the race at Misano, and was scuppered by qualifying 19th. You can see where he is coming from, as he gained 11 positions, I would agree with a top 5 finish, but a podium may have been stretching it.
Other News
As was reported last week, it has been confirmed that Australian Supercars will be bought by the RACE consortium. The sale is apparently for $60 million, which could be seen as a loss for Archer, the old owners, but is not bad in these current times.
-M
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