In the round-up: Kerpen-Manheim, the home town of Michael Schumacher and Ralf Schumacher, is to be demolished.
In brief
Schumachers’ home town to be demolished
The expansion of the massive Hambach surface mine to the north-west of Kerpen-Manheim has led to the abandonment of the village where the Schumacher family once lived. The mine is a source of lignite, regarded as one of the most polluting forms of ‘brown coal’ used for power generation.
Kerpen-Manheim is already largely deserted German media reports claim as few as a dozen people are left in the town. Excavations are due to begin next year.
Some notable local landmarks will be spared demolition. They include the Kerpen karting track once owned by Schumacher’s family, where in 2001 he raced against his fellow future seven-times champion and Mercedes F1 team predecessor Lewis Hamilton.
F1 announces new Paramount partnership
Paramount+, the catch-up streaming service owned by American media conglomerate Paramount Global, has signed a deal to become an official partner of the Formula 1 world championship.
F1 already has deals with broadcasters across the world, for live coverage and bespoke on-demand featured such as Netflix’s Drive to Survive series. Its multi-year promotional deal with Paramount is a follow-up to a deal between the company and F1 last year that centred around a “sports and entertainment collaboration.”
Now the focus will be on Paramount providing content that will be consumable from within the F1 paddock during race weekends. F1 claims that from now on it will have “Paramount+ hit series, blockbuster movies and beloved characters taking centre stage inside Fan Zone areas”.
Paramount sponsorship will also be visible at multiple tracks on the calendar, including on the pit lane side of the pit wall.
F2 stars untroubled by limited practice
While George Russell believes Formula 1 drivers have too much practice time compared to their Formula 2 and Formula 3 counterparts, the junior racers aren’t convinced.
F2 drivers don’t feel they need more practice “It’s not easy in F2 when you have only 45 minutes to learn a track,” said Sauber junior Theo Pourchaire during the most recent round in Melbourne, a new addition to the F2 calendar. “But that’s part of our job.
“We can see some qualities in some drivers. I’m sure there’s a big, big step between F1 and F2. They have a three free practices, we have only one of 45 minutes. But it’s like this, we need to adapt ourselves. It’s tough, but as I said we can see where are the good drivers. You need to adapt quickly to every condition, so it’s not easy. But it’s good.”
Ayumu Iwasa, who starred in Melbourne by taking pole position and winning the feature race, largely agreed with Pourchaire. “I think it’s really good format at the moment,” said the Red Bull junior driver. “That’s what I’m feeling. Having quite small free practice is I think it’s showing quite a lot of differences between the drivers.”
Another driver who likes F2’s current format is Alpine junior and rookie Victor Martins. “I like it, because I like to push straight away,” he said. “I’m quite good on the first laps, when you have no experience, you don’t know the track and you need to go right on the limit straight away. I think it shows the talent of the drivers, so I wouldn’t change anything.
“The young categories are there to detect the best drivers in the world. So I think if we want to be in F1, we need to show that kind of potential and that talent. So I think it’s good.”
Links
Motor racing links of interest:
Iconic F1 and Le Mans cars confirmed for the 2023 Gulf Historic Dubai GP Revival (Gulf Historic)
‘An event like no other, the Gulf Historic Dubai GP Revival brings together some of the most famous names in motorsport. The first iconic pieces of machinery have now been confirmed for this year’s event, taking place from 8th-10th December. The F1 70s category will see a race between some of the most fearsome cars to enter the championship between 1970 and 1985, with two examples of the Williams FW07C confirmed to race alongside the Tyrrell 011.’
F1 Report Card: American F1 rookie Sargeant earning passing grades (Autoweek)
‘Bahrain was excellent, Saudi Arabia was messy, Australia was underwhelming. Those are the mere blunt snapshots for a driver taking his first steps in the complex world of F1 with a team that has been a perennial backmarker for years. For Sargeant the journey with Williams began in late 2021.’
Russell: ‘F1 guys are worse drivers than their dads’ (The Times – subscription required)
‘My earliest memories are of living in a mobile home while my parents built a house in a field in the middle of nowhere, near Wisbech in Cambridgeshire. I rode a pedal tractor around the site, hurtling through corners and reversing with a trailer.’
The Gran Turismo Movie Has ‘Real Actors, In Real Cars, Driving Insanely Quickly’ says Neill Blomkamp (Empire)
‘Do you feel the need? The need for some serious speed? Well, then, you’re in for a treat with Gran Turismo, the high-octane racing car thriller inspired by the hugely successful gaming franchise of the same name. Directed by District 9’s Neill Blomkamp, Gran Turismo tells the real-life story of gifted gamer Jann Mardenborough (Archie Madekwe), a northern English lad who made the transition from driving online to getting behind the wheel for real, when he was selected for GT Academy after showcasing his virtual steering skills.’
Camara again on the top of the Formula Regional Europe pre-season tests (FRECA)
‘The last Formula Regional European Championship pre-season collective tests are over in Monza, Rafael Camara topped again the session in preparation for the first official race weekend next week. The track of Autodromo Nazionale Monza held the third and last occasion to tune up the car and work on the set-up foreseeing the upcoming season.’
New Alpine F1 junior Aiden Neate fastest in British F4’s Thruxton test (Formula Scout)
‘Aiden Neate went fastest for Fortec Motorsports in a British Formula 4 test day at Thruxton on Wednesday. The new Alpine junior is yet to announce his main racing programme for 2023, but has competed in British F4 for the last two years.’
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Happy birthday to Kester!
On this day in motorsport
- 20 years ago today Paul Tracy won the ChampCar Grand Prix of Long Beach