IN THE SHOW: McLaren Racing chief executive Zac Brown says he “hated” the decision to cut Daniel Ricciardo’s contract after being lured away from Renault.
in short
Brown is “still a big fan” of Ricciardo.
Ricciardo is leaving McLaren with one year left on his contract. Brown, who once tried to bring Ricciardo to the team before they finally agreed a deal for 2021, said he “hated” himself for cutting Ricciardo’s three-year deal short as the driver struggled to work at the team.
“It was probably the hardest thing I’ve ever experienced in motorsport, it wasn’t fun, it wasn’t fun,” he told Kayo Sport.
“I tried to get Daniel before he went to Renault, so this was years in the making. I’m a big fan of Daniel. I’m still a huge Daniel fan and that will never change.
Ricciardo has indicated that he does not expect to compete in the 2023 F1 season.
Mercedes speed defect “within achievable limits”
Mercedes F1 technical director Mike Elliott now understands what changes his team will need to make to their car design to overcome its 2022 shortcomings and how profitable it will be to win victories.
“Once you get it right, you need to find out how much performance you need, and I’m not going to give you a number because it’s very important, but I think it’s within the range of what can be achieved.” he said. “So working hard, I think we have to work hard over the winter but hopefully we can get ourselves back to where we are fighting up front.”
The Lotus Fittipaldi Tribute presents an electric hypercar
Lotus has produced a limited edition EVJA electric hypercar to mark the 50th anniversary of Emerson Fittipaldi’s first world championship success.
Eight of the 130 EVs will be produced in black and gold, creating the ground-breaking 72 colors that Fittipaldi took to the 1972 championship. Jensen Button was invited to test drive one of eight examples of the 2,000bhp-plus (1,500W) machine.
“It looks like a jet engine,” said the 2009 world champion. “Evie, you think you’re quiet, but you’re not. The energy is astronomical. It’s so amazing, it will put a big smile on your face.
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Happy birthday to Far No. 65, Sebastian Huzinja and Carlos!
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