F1 drivers back 16-year-old Le Mans starter

In short

Verstappen and Ocon see no problem with the 16-year-old Le Mans racer

Josh Pierson, who races in the IMSA Sportscar Championship, will become the youngest driver in Le Mans 24 Hours history when he takes control of United Autosports’ number 23 car. At 16, he is too young to compete in Formula 1 or Formula 2 races at the Baku circuit this week as they have age limits of 18 and 17 respectively.

Verstappen, who became the youngest driver to start an F1 race aged 17, prompting the introduction of the current limit, said he saw no problem with Pierson entering the race demanding 24-hour race on the high-speed Sarthe circuit.

“If he’s able to drive, I don’t see why,” Verstappen said when asked by RaceFans. “It shouldn’t depend on age. If he’s 16 and he’s able to drive and he’s not a danger to others, then I think that’s perfectly fine.

Ocon, who made his F1 debut aged 19, agreed with Verstappen. “I don’t think age should be a limit. I arrived early in the categories, in karting, arrived early in single-seaters too.

“All we’re looking at is really the performance, not your age and the maturity that you have to have, and act to be professional from an early age. And that’s probably what he’s going to face now.

Fear of Leclerc power loss caused by engine mode error

Charles Leclerc says he “forgot” to change his engine mode, which led to his frantic radio messages reporting a loss of power on second tries.

The Ferrari driver relinquished the lead in the Spanish Grand Prix in May due to turbo failure. During Friday’s second test in Baku, Leclerc reported a loss of power in his Ferrari before being told to switch to another engine mode.

“Tell me quickly, I don’t want to take any risks,” he told his race engineer. “We think everything is fine and you can push,” replied Xavier Marcos Padros.

“Okay, so the loss of power was normal?” asked Leclerc. He was then told, “Race mode, please. Race mode.

Leclerc later explained that “actually it wasn’t a PSU issue. It was just me who forgot that I changed something, which obviously caused me to lose power But nothing weird.

FIA creates post of Quality, Diversity and Inclusion Advisor

The FIA ​​has appointed its first equality, diversity and inclusion adviser dedicated to motorsport, it announced yesterday. Tanya Kutsenko, who previously worked for the Emirates Motorsports Organization and the Automobile and Touring Club of the United Arab Emirates, has taken up her role.

FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem has set himself the goal of doubling participation in motorsport within four years. Kutsenko will be responsible for developing a strategy to expand the reach of the FIA. She will report to the general secretary for sport, a position occupied by interim Shaila-Ann Rao after the departure of Peter Bayer earlier this month.

The announcement of the new position follows Ben Sulayem’s recent comments about drivers using their status to comment on issues such as diversity. Following Kutsenko’s appointment, he said: “Equality, diversity and inclusion are a key priority of my term as FIA President. In line with our strategy of promoting greater diversity, the appointment of a dedicated and experienced referent in charge of these issues will allow us to accelerate inclusion and dual participation in motorsport.

Rossi fastest at Road America trials

Alexander Rossi led the opening practice session for Road America’s IndyCar Grand Prix this weekend. The Andretti driver, whose second-place finish in Detroit last weekend was his best finish since winning at Elkhart Lake three years ago, posted a time of 1:45.6027, putting him a tenth of a second ahead of Colton Herta .

The session was briefly interrupted by a red flag after Helio Castroneves spun. Simona de Silvestro’s Paretta entry, competing in its first race this year, finished at the bottom of the times. However, a productive session saw them complete 20 laps, the fastest of which was only a tenth of a second behind the next slowest driver, despite being held back by a right rear brake light at one point. given.

15 years ago today, I won my very first F1 race. Thanks @team_lh for the artwork and thanks to all the fans, old and new. Whether you’ve been supporting me for 15 years or 15 minutes, I feel the energy all the same. I love you all, here are many more! pic.twitter.com/e36YqWZvoB

— Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) June 10, 2022

The @MercedesAMGF1 pride star in all its glory on @LewisHamilton🌈’s car #PrideMonth #AzerbaijanGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/ugTLfp2bHm

— Claire Cottingham (@Cla_Cottingham) June 10, 2022

I see the main argument about salary caps being made today is “junior single-seaters are too expensive, but rather than fixing that we should just spend more money on it.”

— Bethonie Waring (@bethonieboost) June 10, 2022

This goal must be horrible for the backs and heads of the drivers.. We could see serious injuries/problems after this weekend.. @F1

— Pal Varhaug (@varhaug) June 10, 2022

This HYPERPOLE session was awesome. Unfortunately I finished for the track limits, otherwise we could have had a good run, my lap was done with a little too much gas. Never for Pole though. @RFrijns that was awesome my friend.

— Antonio Felix da Costa (@afelixdacosta) June 10, 2022

Stefano Domenicali:

I am saddened by the news of the death of long-time Formula 1 supporter Francesco Longanesi Cattani. His passion for our sport and our life will be greatly missed and my thoughts are with his family and friends at this sad time. pic.twitter.com/jreZwMJC6B

— F1 Media (@F1Media) June 10, 2022

Connections

Interesting motorsport links:

Formula 1 bosses hope to hold a Grand Prix in South Africa next year (Daily Mail)

“If negotiations prove successful, the race will take place at the 2.8-mile Kyalami Circuit, north of Johannesburg, which last staged a Grand Prix in 1993 after being a roster mainstay in the 60s, 70s and early 80s.”

‘He’s on a roll’: Why veteran Red Bull rising star is a title dark horse (Fox Sports Australia)

“He’s been much closer to his team-mate all season. Not only do the duo share a pole position each, but Perez would have won in Saudi Arabia if it hadn’t been for a badly timed safety car, and of course , he was handed the slowest strategy in Spain which placed him second behind his team-mate at the flag.”

TT rider left with ‘a pile of bird guts in his mouth’ as ​​200mph pigeon crash causes two black eyes (TalkSport)

“An Isle of Man TT rider was left with two black eyes and a ‘pile of bird guts’ in his mouth after hitting a pigeon at 200mph.”

Ferrari teases the next LMH (everyday sports car) hypercar

“As can be seen above, Ferrari still says very little about the car, which will begin its track testing program next month. Ferrari confirms, however, that the car “shows strong design references to stylistic features which distinguish the models of the Prancing Horse range.””

WEC: update on the future LMP2 and GT classes presented at Le Mans (FIA)

“LMP2 has played a central role in the endurance racing scenes and has proven to be a huge success since its last revision in 2017. However, the regulations are due to be updated in 2025. The LMP2 chassis will be supplied by the four same constructors who are currently entered in the LMDh category: Dallara, Ligier, Multimatic and Oreca.”

Let’s play the yes or no game with Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez (Red Bull via YouTube)

“Not your normal Q&A with Max and Checo! This time the Oracle Red Bull Racing duo have to answer each other’s questions without using yes or no. Sounds simple… right?”

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