rome e-prix fp2 ends prematurely as turvey crashes into vergne and jake dennis

Rome E-Prix FP2 ends prematurely as Turvey crashes into Vergne and Jake Dennis

NIO driver Oliver Turvey struck the stationary Techeetah of Jean-Eric Vergne as first practice came to an end. Vergne was part of a group of drivers waiting in a queue to perform practice starts.Turvey arrived on the scene at speed and struck Vergne’s car with enough force to rip the right-rear quarter off the Techeetah, tearing its driveshaft out, and heavily damage the front of his own machine. The NIO car then struck the BMW Andretti machine of Jake Dennis. Formula E confirmed the trio were unhurt in the crash. “I’m okay and all drivers are fine,” said Vergne. However the extent of the damage meant all three were unable to participate in the second practice session. It remains to be seen whether they will be able to take part in qualifying for the first of this weekend’s two races later today. Alterations to the Rome street circuit for this year’s EPrix may have contributed to the crash. The finishing line and pits are at the exit of turn 19, but the start line – where the crash occured – is situated between turns six and seven. Formula E last visited the venue in 2019.

rome e-prix fp2 ends prematurely as turvey crashes into vergne and jake dennis

Stoffel Vandoorne takes pole for the Rome Formula E season opener

Mercedes driver Stoffel Vandoorne charged to his third pole position in Formula E as he topped qualifying for the opening race at the Rome E-Prix. The former McLaren Formula 1 driver turned in a brilliant lap as light rain fell in the Italian capital to claim his first pole in Formula E since the 2019-20 finale in Berlin. Vandoorne’s benchmark time of a 1m38.484s saw him usurp provisional polesitter Lucas di Grassi to go four-tenths clear of the field, before Porsche’s Andre Lotterer secured second with a lap that was just over a tenth shy of Vandoorne’s effort. Nissan’s Oliver Rowland looked on course to better Vandoorne’s lap and was up on the Belgian’s time heading into the final sector, but a hit with the wall at the last corner proved costly and meant he had to settle with third ahead of di Grassi. Two-time Formula E champion Jean-Eric Vergne was fifth for Techeetah, ahead of BMW’s Max Gunther, who faced the worst of the rain as the first driver to set a lap time in Superpole. Envision Virgin’s Robin Frijns was seventh-fastest as he missed out on a spot in Superpole, with current championship leader Nyck de Vries only eighth-fastest in his Mercedes. A tenth further behind came Porsche driver Pascal Wehrlein, while Sebastien Buemi completed the top-10 for Nissan. After winning the second race in Diriyah last time out, Sam Bird could only manage the 11th-best time ahead of Jaguar teammate Mitch Evans. It was a nightmare qualifying for reigning Formula E champion Antonio Felix da Costa, who is set to start a lowly 18th on the grid for the opening race of the weekend in Rome after he ruined his lap by hitting the wall during Group 1. Nick Cassidy was another driver who hit the wall before his Envision Virgin car stopped on track, meaning he will start 22nd, ahead of Venturi’s Edoardo Mortara who failed to set a time after an issue. NIO 333 faces a race against time to get Oliver Turvey’s car ready in time for the Rome E-Prix after he was caught up in a nasty multi-car shunt at the end of first practice on Saturday morning. The Briton will have to start the race from the pitlane if his car is fixed in time.

rome e-prix fp2 ends prematurely as turvey crashes into vergne and jake dennis

Ferrari gifts Charles Leclerc with his 2019 race winning Ferrari SF90

Charles Leclerc has received a very special addition to his garage collection from Ferrari – his race-winning SF90 from the 2019 season. Leclerc will have very fond memories of the SF90 having won back-t0-back races with it at the 2019 Belgian Grand Prix and, more notably, Ferrari’s home race at the 2019 Italian Grand Prix. He was the first Ferrari winner at Monza since Fernando Alonso in 2010 and the victory helped take him further into the hearts of the Tifosi faithful. On Friday, Leclerc teased on Instagram that he had just received “something special” from the Scuderia. On his memorable Monza victory, Leclerc said it gave him “the chills” when he passed the chequered flag in P1. “It’s very difficult to find the words to describe what I felt during this race [at Monza],” Leclerc told Autosport. “I had a lot of pressure – the whole team had a lot of pressure – because obviously we were in Italy, Ferrari is huge in Italy, and everyone wanted us to win so there was big pressure around the whole team. “The week started from the Monday, which is quite different from the other grands prix because normally as drivers we start on the Thursday, but we started on the Monday with some events in Milan and things like this. “So the pressure was building up. Then doing the pole was something special already, but then I had to focus on the race and in the race I had no space to breathe. I had Lewis all the race at less than two seconds, I think, so a lot of pressure. “And then to be on the podium, to finally have won the race, and to see the red army under the podium was something extremely special. “It gave me chills and made me realise what it is like to be a Ferrari driver, which of course I realised a little bit before, but I think you really realise it once you win in Monza and see the passion [that] you can really see in the eyes of the people – the passion that they have for the brand. “It’s unbelievable to see.” Ferrari gifting their drivers a Formula 1 car is nothing new. In 2020, Kimi Raikkonen received the SF71H he won the 2018 United States Grand Prix

rome e-prix fp2 ends prematurely as turvey crashes into vergne and jake dennis

Next Gen car to make official appearance in May

NASCAR is expected to officially unveil its Next Gen race car at 3 p.m. ET May 5. NASCAR Cup Series teams will transition to the new car for 2022 competition. Testing began on the car in late 2019 for an expected 2021 competitive debut. But after the COVID-19 pandemic caused a break in testing, the competitive debut of the car was delayed to the 2022 season. Testing has since resumed. While NASCAR has announced the conclusion of the developmental phase for the Next Gen car, Goodyear tire testing continues and manufacturers conducted their first test last Tuesday and Wednesday at Martinsville Speedway. That was the first test session that included cars with manufacturer-specific bodies, but cars were heavily camouflaged to hide manufacturer-specific details. “That was the first test that was not NASCAR-led. That was led by the OEMs so it’s sort of the transition, if you will, of the car, continuing out of the development phase and now into the implementation phase with the teams,” NASCAR’s Senior Vice President of Racing Innovation John Probst said of the test at Martinsville. “The OEMs are the last step in the process, and as far as them prepping the cars, the feedback was pretty positive. Obviously, there’s little things that we’re working on and we’ll continue to work on, but none of the cars missed any track time due to mechanical problems or anything. Some of the best feedback that we get is, ‘it’s a race car.’” Teams are expected to begin testing soon. According to NASCAR, teams will being receiving their cars for next season in June. Features of the Next Gen car that differ from the current car that have already been officially announced include a move to 18-inch, single-lug, aluminum alloy wheels and a sequential gearbox.

rome e-prix fp2 ends prematurely as turvey crashes into vergne and jake dennis

NASCAR driver Taylor Gray hospitalised after car crash

NASCAR driver Taylor Gray is expected to make a full recovery after he was involved in a car crash Wednesday night, his David Gilliland Racing team said. The 16-year-old ARCA driver underwent surgery Thursday at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, N.C. for a fractured L4 vertebra, a part of the spine located in the lower back. Gray was transported to the hospital following the single-car accident in Statesville, N.C. The team announced Thursday morning that Gray had been hospitalized and was in stable condition and provided an update on his condition shortly before 6 p.m. The team said that Gray will also undergo another surgery in the coming days for a fractured left foot and ankle. Gray drives in NASCAR’s ARCA Menards Series in the No. 17 for DGR and was slated to make his first Truck Series start at Richmond Raceway on April 17. He will no longer make his debut in the series as planned at the event and the No. 17 has been withdrawn from the race, the team said. Gray is the brother of full-time Truck Series driver Tanner Gray, who also competes for the team in the No. 15 truck, and comes from a long lineage of NHRA racers, which includes his brother, father Shane Gray and grandfather Johnny Gray. Taylor made his stock car debut in 2018, and won a CARS Tour Late Model race at Hickory Speedway in 2019. Prior to racing limited late models, he raced Outlaw Karts. In 2020, Taylor made the transition to NASCAR’s lower-level ARCA Series driving for DGR-Crosley, making starts across ARCA’s East and West Series. Last October, Taylor earned his first win in ARCA at Kern County Raceway.

rome e-prix fp2 ends prematurely as turvey crashes into vergne and jake dennis

Bottas’ car was disassembled by FIA after Bahrain season opener

F1’s governing body spent three hours disassembling Valtteri Bottas’ new Mercedes car after the Bahrain season opener. Just prior to the opening race of 2021, we reported that the FIA had decided to randomly seize one full car after every race weekend this year for “disassembly” and “deeper checks”. “The FIA wants to make it even harder for cheats,” said Auto Motor und Sport correspondent Michael Schmidt. He said the first disassembled car, decided randomly on the last lap of the Bahrain GP, was Bottas’ Mercedes. “The third-placed Silver Arrow was put to the test by the technical experts for three hours,” said Schmidt. FIA technical boss Nikolas Tombazis explained: “We wanted to do this so that all doubts are removed. This also benefits the teams because it eliminates suspicion.”

rome e-prix fp2 ends prematurely as turvey crashes into vergne and jake dennis

Silverstone to use vaccine passports to allow fans for 2021 GP

Silverstone wants to try to allow fans back in during the 2021 Grand Prix, scheduled for July 18. This is according to a letter sent to sufferers of the major political parties. The letter has been signed by several organisations including the Football Association, Premier League and England and Wales Cricket Board. In it, they write that they want to work closely with the events research programme to explore ways in which fans can return to the circuit. “The return of fans will provide a huge boost to millions who enjoy a day out to a sporting event with their friends and family and make a major contribution to the economy”, the letter reads, reported by Motorsportweek. “It is right that every possible action is considered to achieve this outcome as soon as possible, but only while an unrestricted return is considered unsafe for fans, race staff and the general public.” Vaccination is moving very quickly in England, leading Prime Minister Boris Johnson to announce relaxations earlier. That would be good news for Formula 1, as most people will already have been vaccinated by then. Silverstone also wants to use testing and vaccination passports to ensure safety.

rome e-prix fp2 ends prematurely as turvey crashes into vergne and jake dennis

Aston Martin confirm Nico Hulkenberg as their reserve and development driver

Nico Hulkenberg has been signed as the newly rebranded Aston Martin F1 Team’s reserve and development driver, the constructor announced on Wednesday. Hulkenberg raced in three grand prix with Racing Point last season after Sergio Perez and Lance Stroll both tested positive for COVID-19 (at different points of the campaign.) Despite impressing many in the paddock with his strong stand-in performances, the German missed out on a full-time F1 seat for 2021. He was strongly linked with a move to Red Bull, but the Milton Keynes-based team ultimately decided to sign Perez as Alex Albon’s replacement. Commenting on his new role, Hulkenberg said he is “fully prepared” and hopes that Aston Martin drivers Sebastian Vettel and Stroll will enjoy “uninterrupted seasons” in 2021. “The team knows it can rely on me to step in and do an excellent job,” Hulkenberg said. “And I’m fully prepared for that challenge. “It’s great to get this deal signed up with plenty of notice – last year, I didn’t have quite as much time to prepare before jumping in the car! “I’m really pleased to once again work with this team – with whom I have driven many times during my career. “It will also be interesting to help develop the team through the season, and I’m really looking forward to pulling great lap times out of my arm sleeve.” Aston Martin team principal Otmar Szafnauer, for his part, said that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s very important to have a strong reserve driver in 2021. “In these difficult times, the requirement for a capable and experienced reserve driver is especially important,” Szafnauer said. “Nico proved last year that he could jump in the car and perform superbly at a moment’s notice; now, with additional scope for preparation and integration, we know that we can rely on Nico to do an excellent job.” Last month, Hulkenberg announced that he would be taking on a dual reserve driver role with Aston Martin and Mercedes in 2021. He explained that he will be on call for Aston Martin at most grand prix this year, and will be ready to fill in for Sir Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas at grand prix which regular Mercedes reserve drivers Stoffel Vandoorne and Nyck de Vries won’t be available due to clashes with their Formula E racing commitments. Based on the current F1 and Formula E calendars, there will be three clashes this campaign.

rome e-prix fp2 ends prematurely as turvey crashes into vergne and jake dennis

Red Bull to have a rear suspension upgrade in Imola

Red Bull Racing is rumoured to be looking to raise the bar even higher when it comes to technical upgrades. In Imola, the team is expected to bring a solution to make the new Pirelli tyres easier to drive with. Red Bull knows it’s necessary to be on top of things all the time to be able to compete with Mercedes for the title. For this reason, the team would bring an even stronger car to Imola, says the Italian branch of Motorsport.com. According to reports, Red Bull has a special rear suspension that simulates the behavior of the rear wheels. In principle, adjusting the rear wheels is prohibited, but Red Bull is said to have found a solution for this. By adjusting the flexibility of certain parts and making electronic adjustments to the differential, engine and brakes, the angle of the rear wheels in the corners could be changed.

rome e-prix fp2 ends prematurely as turvey crashes into vergne and jake dennis

Alex Lynn joins United Autosports for 24 Hours of Le Mans

Former Aston Martin factory driver Alex Lynn will team up with Paul di Resta for the rescheduled Le Mans 24 Hours in August at the United Autosports LMP2 squad. The 27-year-old Briton, who is racing with Mahindra in Formula E this season, will drive one of three Oreca 07 LMP2 prototypes entered for the double-points FIA World Endurance Championship round on August 21-22 by last year’s class winner. A fifth Le Mans start for Lynn is set to be his first sportscar appearance since he opted not to continue with Aston Martin Racing at the end of last year and his first at the wheel of a prototype since he undertook a partial WEC season with the G-Drive LMP2 team in 2017. Lynn explained that returning to Le Mans, where he took GTE Pro honours with Aston last year and LMP2 class pole with G-Drive in 2017, had been high up on his to-do list for 2021. “Getting back to Le Mans was important and I wanted to be in a prototype, but my priority was to be in a car that has a chance of winning in whatever class, and that’s what I’ve got with United,” he told Motorsport.com. “It’s the perfect opportunity: the team’s record speaks for itself. Paul is a mega driver and we get along well — he’s the perfect first teammate in the car.” Di Resta, who will race for Peugeot when it enters the WEC in 2022, has been brought back into the United fold for its third Le Mans entry after helping Filipe Albuquerque and Phil Hanson to the WEC LMP2 title in 2019/20. Hanson’s promotion to a gold driver ranking for 2021 meant there was no room for di Resta in the line-up, while United’s attempt to put together a deal for a second full-season WEC entry didn’t come to fruition. United boss Richard Dean reckoned that the team is now “two-thirds of the way there to an exceptional line-up” for the car. “Alex is a no-nonsense driver who we all know is very quick,” he said. Dean explained that his job now is to ensure that he gets the best possible silver-rated driver to complete the line-up. “At the moment there is a budget consideration: we’ve raised a certain amount of money, but there’s still a bit of work to do,” he explained. He suggested that if United can raise the full budget for the car, then team regular Wayne Boyd could take the slot for the mandatory silver. The Northern Irishman is graduating to the P2 ranks with the team in this year’s European Le Mans Series having won the LMP3 crown with United last season. “Wayne is clearly on the list and would be an obvious choice for United because he knows the team inside out,” said Dean. Lynn will not be making his race debut with United at Le Mans: he competed in the Gulf 12 Hours at the Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi in 2016 aboard a Ligier JS P3 shared with his father Shaun and Richard Meins. Lynn explained that he had opted against continuing with Aston Martin after the end of its factory GTE Pro programme in the WEC in order to focus on returning to prototypes. “When the factory programme came to an end it was up to us if we wanted to carry on racing on a customer level,” said Lynn, who took class honours at Le Mans in 2020 together with Maxime Martin and Harry Tincknell at the end of his third year with Aston. “I was very lucky I had the FE opportunity with Mahindra and I chose to focus on that while looking for a way back into prototypes. “I love prototype racing and enjoyed driving with Wayne Taylor Racing at the Sebring 12 Hours [which he won in 2017] and my time with G-Drive. “There aren’t many drivers who don’t have an eye on the future of the top class in prototype racing with the arrival of the Le Mans Hypercars and LMDh coming — we all want to fight for the overall.”

rome e-prix fp2 ends prematurely as turvey crashes into vergne and jake dennis

Jack Miller undergoes a successful arm pump surgery

Ducati Lenovo team rider Jack Miller underwent surgery on his right forearm this evening to relieve ‘arm pump’ (compartment syndrome), which cause him problems during the last two Grands Prix held in Qatar. Having returned from Doha yesterday, the Australian rider went to the Dexeus University Hospital in Barcelona on Tuesday evening , where he was immediately examined by Dr Mir (Director of the Dexeus Institute’s Upper Limb Unit). After undergoing an MRI at rest and one under strain, it was decided to perform surgery immediately to restore the forearm’s vascular and nerve activity to normal. Jack spent 24 hours in the hospital, and then he will be able to begin rehabilitation with the aim to return on track already in the next round in Portimão for the Grand Prix of Portugal, scheduled from 16th-18th April. “It was a short operation, and it went very well. I can’t wait to start the rehabilitation.” Jack Miller said in an interview. “There are still ten days left before the next Grand Prix at Portimão. If my recovery proceeds normally, I’ll be able to be back on track in Portugal, even if not completely at my 100% fitness. I want to thank Dr Mir and all his team of the Dexeus Hospital for their availability and all the care they have given me.”

rome e-prix fp2 ends prematurely as turvey crashes into vergne and jake dennis

Hamilton and Rosberg rivalry takes a new turn as owners of new top Extreme E teams

The former Mercedes teammates have renewed their rivalry by becoming owners of new Extreme E teams. Rosberg’s car won the first race last weekend in Saudi Arabia. Nico Rosberg has revealed that Lewis Hamilton has not called to congratulate him on his maiden Extreme E victory. The two F1 greats have both entered teams into the inaugural off-road event, reigniting their rivalry that frequently spilled over throughout the early 2010s. Between 2013 and 2016, the pair were Mercedes teammates, leading to some memorable clashes and battles on track. Both are now setting their sights on taking home silverware as Extreme E team owners, although it seems as if they still aren’t on speaking terms just yet. “No, but he probably would if he had my number,” Rosberg told German outlet Sport 1 when asked if Hamilton had called him after the Extreme E race. “Still, how cool is that we are now competing against each other as team bosses and are also first and second in the championship? It’s funny that the duel now continues here.” After Hamilton had won the F1 world championship in 2014 and 2015, Rosberg finally got the better of his old friend in 2016 – retiring in the immediate aftermath. Since then, he has gone on to champion several sustainable projects, with Extreme E being one of the German’s most significant endeavors. Rosberg Xtreme Racing Team won the opening race of the season in Saudi Arabia, while Hamilton’s X44 came in third. “Our teams were in duels all weekend. Sometimes his team was first, sometimes mine. It was a really big duel and in the end we were able to swing it our way, which made me very happy,” Rosberg concluded.