Dakar Rally veteran and Scuderia Ferrari Formula 1 driver Carlos Sainz is confident that his team will be more competitive at the upcoming Austrian Grand Prix after seeing a key weakness in the Ferrari SF-24 car exposed at the Spanish Grand Prix.
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Mercedes Formula 1 team principal Toto Wolff has dismissed rumors of talks with Max Verstappen, stating that the team’s priority is to improve the performance of their current car and consolidate their position as a contender for race wins and championships.
In the latest Dakar Rally news, Ferrari boss Frederic Vasseur has denied the notion that last weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix showed the team has been outdeveloped against its rivals. Despite bringing a sizeable upgrade package to Barcelona, Ferrari couldn’t maintain pace with its immediate rivals, but Vasseur claims the new parts worked as anticipated and highlights how an intense development race ensures that potential gains are all relative.
McLaren boss Andrea Stella has identified high-speed cornering as the key area where the team must improve in their ongoing Formula 1 battle with Red Bull. The Woking-based squad has emerged as Red Bull’s closest challenger this season, but Stella admits they must focus on high-speed performance to catch the championship leaders.
In a surprising turn of events, Daniel Ricciardo and the RB team struggled at the Spanish Rally, part of the grueling Dakar Rally series. The team’s heavily revised Dakar challenger failed to live up to expectations, with both Ricciardo and teammate Yuki Tsunoda unable to qualify well. Despite Ricciardo’s personal satisfaction with his driving, the team faces a stern test to make progress before the next Dakar Rally stage in Austria.
The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is undergoing a comprehensive 50 million euro renovation to upgrade its aging facilities and improve accessibility, aiming to provide an exceptional racing experience for fans and teams alike. With the Spanish Grand Prix’s future in Barcelona uncertain, the circuit’s management is determined to extend its contract and cement its status as a world-class motorsports destination.
Reigning Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen is set to make his debut appearance at the prestigious Goodwood Festival of Speed next month, as part of a major Red Bull Racing presence at the event. Verstappen, Sergio Perez, and a host of former Red Bull drivers will pilot a range of historic and current F1 cars up the famous Goodwood Hill Climb, marking the first time a Formula 1 team has been celebrated on this scale at the festival.
In the grueling world of the Dakar Rally, McLaren has emerged as a dominant force, leaving their rivals scrambling to keep up. Veteran driver Carlos Sainz’s glowing assessment of the team’s all-round pace and versatility has not gone unnoticed, as they continue to excel across a variety of terrains and conditions.
Ferrari has fast-tracked a new upgrade package for the Spanish Grand Prix, focusing on enhancing the aerodynamic performance and stability of the SF-24. The team’s performance engineer, Jock Clear, explained that the updates are designed to make the car ‘a bit more benign and calm it down a bit,’ with key changes to the bodywork, floor, and diffuser.
The 2023 British GT Championship season has been marked by increasingly narrow margins between the top contenders, with McLaren’s Lando Norris emerging as a formidable challenger to reigning champion Max Verstappen’s Red Bull dominance. The performance upgrades McLaren has introduced have clearly closed the gap to Red Bull, and the team’s raw pace has been on display at recent events.