Marko info led to Honda deal
In the round-up: Helmut Marko claims to have had “inside information” about Honda before Red Bull joined forces with them.
In brief
Marko’s “inside information” led Honda deal
Red Bull sporting advisor Helmut Marko claims to have had “inside information” about the development work Honda was doing on their power units before the team moved from Renault to Honda in 2019.
“We had a deal with Mercedes – a handshake deal with [Nikki] Lauda – which was not supported by Toto, so the deal didn’t happen,” Marko told the Inside Line F1 podcast.
“And then we went to Honda. Honda, at that stage, had failed to be competitive with McLaren. But I had some inside information what they are planning to do, so we said ‘yes, we go ahead, take this risk’, which I believed wasn’t a risk, because I knew how much they spent on dynos. AVL is in Graz and so I knew what they spent. So they were serious about it.
“So then we changed to an engine, which at that moment was, did Alonso say ‘F2 style’ or something like that? So we always took brave decisions. So a little bit ‘no risk, no fun’.”
Williams launch engineering academy
Williams has announced that it is launching a new engineering academy programme to offer selected students support in forging careers in engineering and motorsport.
In collaboration with team sponsors Komatsu, the team will offer ten promising students of science, technology, engineering and mathematics the chance to gain support in their studies with internships, apprenticeships, mentoring from Williams engineers and other benefits.
The first group of students selected in 2025 will be chosen from students over 16 who compete in the F1 in Schools world finals in Saudi Arabia in November.
Guenther takes Penske FE seat
DS Penske has confirmed that Maximilian Guenther will join the team for the upcoming Formula E season beginning this December.
Guenther will fill the seat vacated by Stoffel Vandoorne after the most recent season, joining Jean-Eric Vergne. He finished eighth in this year’s championship standings with Maserati, taking a single race win in the Tokyo race in March.
“A very special element for me is to drive for Jay [Penske]’s team again,” said Guenther. “He brought me into the championship when I was 20 years old. I’m proud to be part of the team and excited of what we will build together in the future.”
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Lenovo becomes global partner of Formula 1 in renewed deal (F1)
‘As a global partner of Formula 1, Lenovo will continue to provide F1 with state-of-the-art technology devices, solutions and services to support the delivery of grands prix at track and remotely. Under the agreement, Lenovo will serve as the title sponsor for two races per season and Lenovo and Motorola will have increased trackside branding at events.’
What We Learned: The key talking points after Round 11 at Monza (F2)
‘What also caught the eye was how much pace Gabriel Bortoleto had compared to the rest as he forced his way through in both races. At times, he was almost pushing his rivals through the corners. So, once he hit the front in the Feature, there was no catching him as he crossed the line 9.4s clear of second-placed Maloney. This result puts him 10.5 points behind Hadjar heading into the final three rounds of the year, meaning the title fight is well and truly on.’
Chip Ganassi Racing confirms IndyCar downsizing, plans Indy Nxt return (Racer)
Team manager Taylor Kiel: ”The biggest thing for us is we have a lot of really good people, and we’re in the midst of a downsize. We’re losing the sports car program with Cadillac, and this charter system is forcing us into three cars, so first and foremost, we’re trying to figure out what to do with our good people.”
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On this day in motorsport
- 60 years ago today Ferrari’s John Surtees moved into championship contention by winning the Italian Grand Prix while points leaders Graham Hill and Jim Clark retired
