Albon did “huge” damage to floor with same mistake as Verstappen – Vowles

In brief

Albon had “huge” floor damage

Williams suffered more damage to their cars than originally appeared in Miami as Albon wrecked his floor at the same place on the track where Max Verstappen went off.

“On lap 50 Alex went across the same bollard that Verstappen did and he broke the floor and the damage was huge,” team principal James Vowles revealed in a video released by Williams. “We didn’t realise how much instantaneously, but just a lap later it became very clear how much it was. It was something circa a second or so of lap time performance, just to give everyone an idea.”

That contributed to Albon’s later error when he locked up and went off the track. “It meant that when he hit the brakes coming into 11, there was no downforce to stop the car. He locked up, lost all those positions and went off.”

Norris ‘been smiling since lap 33’

Norris took the lead of the race before the Safety Car came out and pulled away from Verstappen to score his first Formula 1 victory by over seven seconds.

“[I’ve] genuinely had the most insane couple days of my life,” he said on social media. “Still don’t know what to say but this was a dream since I was a kid. I literally haven’t stopped smiling since lap 33.

“So much hard work to achieve this and it all finally paid off. The support from all my team, the McLaren papaya fans, other drivers and so so many more, I’ve appreciated every single little bit of it.”

“And after all of this we’re just getting started,” he added.

Penske announce substitutes

Penske have identified the four team members who will substitute this weekend for the quartet who were suspended for the upcoming two rounds in the wake of the push-to-pass scandal.

On Josef Newgarden’s car, Jon Bouslog will be the number two strategist and Raul Prados the number two race engineer. Newgarden, along with team mate Scott McLaughlin, was disqualified from the St Petersburg Grand Prix for using push-to-pass outside of the permitted times.

Will Power was not disqualified from the race, though was given a points deduction, as he did not use the system on his car when he was not permitted to. However two of his crew members are among those changing places. David Faustino will serve as strategist and race engineer, and Paulo Trentini Filho will be his data engineer. Penske managing director Ron Ruweski, also Power’s strategist, was among the four individuals suspended.

Penske is yet to announce the changes to its staff roster for the Indianapolis 500.

Links

Motor racing links of interest:

Chief exec Robyn leaves FIA after just 18 months (FIA)

'The FIA said in a statement that Robyn had left 'by mutual agreement to pursue opportunities outside of the FIA'.'

Schumacher on the phone in Japan: Jon Nicholson’s best photograph (The Guardian)

'What really made it was when the fans outside crowded around the window to stare at him. It became a picture not just of him but of their reaction to seeing him.'

Norris' maiden victory in Miami is more nuanced than just luck, says Brundle (Sky)

'(Norris is) such a globally popular driver, but I'm sure too that many were pleased to see Red Bull and the mercurial Max Verstappen finally beaten on sheer pace alone in the closing stages.'

He’ll never be forgotten – Stewart pays tribute to Moss (The Independent)

'But I don’t ever think we will see this again, one man, who has been respected in such a fashion. I am tremendously proud I could call Stirling a friend.'

Woman and man accused of ‘blackmailing’ top F1 racing team boss have charges dropped (The Sun)

'The pair had not entered pleas and yesterday the charges against them were formally discontinued in a two-minute hearing at Reading Crown Court, which neither defendant attended.'

We always endeavour to credit original sources. If you have a tip for a link relating to single-seater motorsport to feature in the next RaceFans round-up please send it to us via the contact form.

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Social media

Notable posts from X (formerly Twitter), TikTok and more:

@tarin_finn_flagger

The full video of one the best moments of my life. Dreams do come true! @Formula 1 @Mercedes-AMG F1 #lewishamilton #hug #flagmarshal #hamilton #hamilton44 #f1 #formula1 #f1miami #formula1miami #formula1miamigrandprix #f1miamigrandprix2024 #miamigp

♬ Formula 1 Theme – Brian Tyler

The bells of #WestminsterAbbey were hailing the greatest all round racing driver to have lived. #SirStirlingMoss @MercedesAMGF1 his cars outside. Normally reserved for Kings and Queens, the Abbey and the world of motorsport remembered the revered sportsman. pic.twitter.com/EJGJo2qV5P

— Tony Jardine (@tony_jardine) May 8, 2024

Really miserable day today with the news that Neville Hay died this morning. A fantastic communicator and a brilliant raconteur, Nev did a lot to encourage and educate me when I started commentating. A wonderful man who I shall miss enormously.

— David Addison (@addison_djra) May 8, 2024

Having run ahead of his team mate all race, @OscarPiastri was infuriated by how much of an advantage the appearance of the Safety Car handed him.#F1 #MiamiGP #RaceFans pic.twitter.com/1j1J0rYEjJ

— RaceFans (@racefansdotnet) May 8, 2024

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• Find more official F1 accounts to follow in the F1 Twitter Directory

Comment of the day

Was the Penske team’s misuse of push-to-pass accidental or pre-meditated?

That push-to-pass telemetry isn’t just being sent to ‘several parties’, it’s freely broadcasted to anyone with the IndyCar app on their phone. Admittedly, it’s not real time, and is only updated once per lap, but I think there would have been enough there for literally anyone to notice the discrepancy.

Whilst obviously they deserve the disqualifications, I am now inclined to believe that it really was an honest mistake by all parties, mainly because Penske are far too professional to have cheated in such an amateurish and easily spotted way. They’d cheat in a much more professional way than this.
Alesici

Happy birthday!

Happy birthday to Kbc, Taurus and Jerichokane!

On this day in motorsport

• 20 years ago today Michael Schumacher led Rubens Barrichello in a comfortable Ferrari one-two at the Circuit de Catalunya, Jarno Trulli over half a minute behind in third