In the round-up: Aston Martin Lagonda will remain sponsors of their branded F1 team until 2030
In brief
Aston Martin Lagonda extends sponsorship of F1 team
Aston Martin Lagonda, the production car wing of the larger Aston Martin group of companies, has extended its sponsorship of the Aston Martin F1 team until 2030.
The Silverstone-based team, who previously competed as Racing Point from 2018 after falling into adminstration as Force India and being bought out by a consortium led by Lawrence Stroll, has raced in Formula 1 as Aston Martin since 2021.
Aston Martin Lagonda also purchased shares in the F1 team last November. The team announced last week that it had extended its contract with driver Fernando Alonso until at least the end of the 2026 season.
Piastri sure gap to Red Bull closing
McLaren driver Oscar Piastri says he is confident that all of Red Bulls rivals are catching up to Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez despite the team winning three of the first four rounds of the 2024 season.“I think generally everyone – certainly the teams around us – seem to be a bit closer to Red Bull,” Piastri told the Fast and the Curious podcast.
“I think we still have a decent amount of work to do, but we’re definitely closer than I think we were last year. You look at the qualifying delta – even in Japan, I think last year we were half a second off Verstappen for pole and this year I think Lando was just under three tenths. So we’re getting closer. I would say there’s a bit more optimism around everyone.”
Alpine sign Anurag to academy
Alpine has announced it has signed 16-year-old Singaporean driver Kabir Anurag to their driver academy.
Anurag is racing in the Italian F4 and Euro 4 championships for this season, having raced in the Formula Winter Series across February and March, where he placed 14th with two fifth place finishes across 11 starts.
“It is an honour to have the support and trust of Alpine and have the opportunity to work with the team’s driver development programme to progress in my career both on and off the track,” Anurag said. “I will be starting my rookie season in Italian F4 and Euro 4 this year, and I am looking forward to showing what I can do in Alpine colours.”
Rosberg launches $75m venture fund
Nico Rosberg, the 2016 Formula 1 world champion, has announced he has launched a $75m (£60m) venture capital fund that he claims will be used to support ‘innovative startups’.
Rosberg Ventures will support other venture capital funds by contributing from a pot of funds raised by by the former driver and other partners.
“Our partner investors are European families who own large companies,” Rosberg said in a post on social media. “We will be selectively building the bridge between these and the world’s leading startups to.”accelerate progress and transformation.”
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
Links
Motor racing links of interest:
How Neural Concept’s aerodynamic AI is shaping Formula 1 (TechCrunch)
'CFD simulations are time-intensive and costly, a situation compounded by Formula 1 regulations that limit a team’s ability to test. Physical time in the wind tunnel is heavily restricted, while each team also has a limited budget for computing time they can use to develop their cars. Any tool that can help a team get its aerodynamic designs in shape quickly is a potential advantage, and NCS is very quick indeed. Baqué estimated that a full CFD simulation that typically takes an hour would take as little as 20 seconds through NCS.'
Esteban Ocon looks beyond Alpine for 2025 contract (Newsweek)
'With a Mercedes seat up for grabs at the end of the season with Lewis Hamilton moving to Ferrari, there's no doubt that Ocon will be courting the seat of a faster machine. But with so many drivers coming to the end of their contract this season, the competition is vast. The coming seasons are particularly pivotal for F1 drivers, with the sport set to undergo significant regulatory changes in 2026. Ocon needs to position himself in the sights of a team that has confidence going into this next stage. Audi, for example, may not tick this box. Mercedes? Maybe. But will other drivers get there first?'
The man who replaced Jim Clark at Lotus: 'No arm round the shoulder' (Motor Sport)
Jackie Oliver: ''It’s this confidence in you that turns into ambition. I’d been racing a Lotus Elan, and then a Formula 3 Brabham, so when Lotus was looking for a driver for their F3 team Jimmy Clark recommended a Scottish rally driver, and Jim Endruweit, who became Colin Chapman’s team manager (after being race engineer), suggested me for the test. I’d had previous F3 experience so the rally guy didn’t have a chance and I got the drive.''
Williams Racing and Coachbuilt Whisky toast new licensing partnership (Williams)
'The alliance will see a number of limited-edition whiskies produced that pay homage to Williams Racing’s rich heritage and reflect the team’s current journey to return to the front of the grid. It will also celebrate the long and prosperous relationship between Williams and Jenson which began in 2000 when the team provided him with his breakthrough opportunity in Formula 1. Beyond the special editions, the licensing partnership will see the core Coachbuilt edition poured at Williams events and in the paddock, in addition to merchandise lines and other activations.'
McLaren Racing extends Logitech G partnership for F1 and sim racing teams (Esports Insider)
'As a result of the extension, the manufacturer will be the gaming wheel and pedal partner of the McLaren Formula 1 team and the McLaren Shadow sim racing team. As part of the extension, Logitech and McLaren will host the Logitech McLaren G Challenge, a sim racing event where drivers will compete for prizes including opportunities to meet the team’s drivers.'
Gerhard Berger drives his screaming V12 Ferrari 640 F1 car at Goodwood (Goodwood via YouTube)
'Gerhard Berger was reunited with his 1989 Ferrari 640 Formula 1 car at the 81st Goodwood Members' Meeting presented by Audrain Motorsport. The former team-mate to Nigel Mansell, Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost and Jean Alesi took a couple of laps to get used to the car again before unleashing the sound of that screaming V12 Ferrari engine.'
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.
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
Social media
Notable posts from X (formerly Twitter), TikTok and more:
A weekend of friends, cycling, tennis… and focaccia 😋 pic.twitter.com/xymLLb3MrN
— Carlos Sainz (@Carlossainz55) April 15, 2024
Happy #WorldArtDay! 🎨
To celebrate, we’re sharing some of the incredible artwork created by fans from around the world. 🖼️
IG: [art.ic.monkeys] [mf.motorsportsart] pic.twitter.com/S23G3nG3tl
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) April 15, 2024
As a huge congratulations after their wedding, Elliot and Eves, our superfans, finally got to go on their factory tour. A wedding gift from us! 🙌
Hope you had an amazing day ♥️ https://t.co/tynVcjrDe9 pic.twitter.com/LrDWBrHCC2
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) April 15, 2024
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
- Find more official F1 accounts to follow in the F1 Twitter Directory
Comment of the day
With Formula 1 looking no closer to weaning itself off its addiction to DRS, David wonders if the sport’s technical wizards are too smart to make overtaking any easier at the highest level…
You’ve captured exactly how “racing” looks in the current DRS-dominated era. Trains and slam-dunks.
But without DRS there would be no overtaking at all.
Time and time again F1 has announced rule changes to make it easier to follow. Time and time again it makes no difference to how easy it is to pass.
The answer is a simple one but one that for some reason the regulators are incapable of making: A massive restriction in aerodynamics, and a massive restriction on braking power.
All this fiddling around the edges has done nothing. The engineers are too smart, and the engineers have no interest in racing. They want to win, and they want to build fast cars.
Ground effects were a mistake. Increased car dimensions were a mistake. Over-complicated hybrid systems were a mistake.
Perhaps 2026 will see a simplification that makes the cars more raceable? I doubt it.
But let’s not overlook that there is still some excellent racing in F1. It’s just that we would all like to see a bit more of it.
David
Happy birthday!
Happy birthday to Andrewtanner, Solid, Braddersf1, Rumfresh and Cristian Ingles!
notagrumpyfan
18th April 2024, 7:38
Interesting article on Neural Concept.
Maybe Rosberg can get into their series B; I’ll have a look as well.
Nick T.
19th April 2024, 9:44
David is dead right on how massively overlooked braking power is in terms of its impact on the ability to pass. When the braking zone is reduced to 30 meters or whatever, it makes passing exponentially more difficult.