All the latest news from the racing world!
F1
Due to the current situation in the world, team bosses want an adjustment in the budget cap, to account for the inflation we are seeing right now. Personally, this is a logical step to take, as it should make no change to the actual amount of work being done, or the relative wealth of teams, instead it is just keeping up with the times, so to speak.
Having tested positive for Covid-19 during testing, which explained why he was unfit to take part, Ricciardo has subsequently produced some negative tests, meaning he will be able to race this weekend. This is great news for him, the team, and the paddock, as Daniel brings a little something else to the F1 circus.
There has been a tweak to the Safety Car rules, which now ensures that all lapped cars will be able to pass the Safety Car, if it is deemed safe to do so. The area which still needs clarity, is to do with whether the race can be restarted on the same lap or not. Although, as long as the race director has the power to do whatever they wish, it doesn’t really matter what it says in the rules.
IndyCar
Hildebrand will yet again race the oval races for AJ Foyt Racing this year. He has performed well for the team in the past, and should be able to help his teammates get up to speed rather quickly. Johnson wants to be further up the grid for his oval debut in Texas, in some ways, he may find comfort in that style of racing, but it will still be very different to what he is used to.
Bourdais has stated that racing in IndyCar this year is unlikely, which might herald the end of his career in the sport, where he made a name for himself. He was dominant in Champ Car, in the early 2000s, but since his return to IndyCar after a stint in F1, was never able to quite return to the same spot, despite plenty of wins. Hopefully his endurance work can be as satisfying for him.
Other News
Today during first practice for the 100 Miles of Sebring, Glickenhaus was the fastest car, ahead of the Alpine. The session was affected by weather, which might be why the top Toyota was only 3rd, although, it could also be the beginning of the parity we were due to see with these new regulations. Given it is a double header with IMSA, we are set for a busy weekend of endurance racing ahead of us.
The FIA are apparently going to address the concerns that teams brought up, after Tanak was forced to retire from certain stages of Rally Sweden, after the red light appeared on top of his car, which says it is not safe. It sounds as though the solution may be to completely isolate the hybrid system, and allow the team to continue the rally using the just the Internal Combustion Engine, until the car returns to service.
-M
Meaning of Motorsport 