In summary: Runaway F1 points leader Max Verstappen says he is not looking to win his second world championship this weekend.
in short
Verstappen’s focus is not on the title this weekend.
Verstappen says he is keeping the thought of winning his second world championship in three days’ time.
The Red Bull driver leads by 116 points after winning the last five Grands Prix. If his lead on Sunday night is at least 138 points, he will win the trophy.
With Sergio Perez and Charles Leclerc finishing far enough back, winning the race would make them champions again. But he says he doesn’t dwell on the math.
“I don’t think about the championship,” he said. “I just want to have a good weekend at the track and race, no rush.”
F1 will race in Singapore for the first time since 2019, with the last two races canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We haven’t been to Singapore for a while so it will be interesting to see how the track turns out,” he said. “It’s definitely one of the best races of the year and it’s a beautiful place to be. Getting a good fit round is important to focus on here.
“There are a lot of safety cars during the race so we have to be ready for anything. Overall this is a challenging circuit, the humidity is hard on the body and it’s very difficult to make a perfect lap because of the twists and turns and how close the walls are.
Singapore expands DRS zones for F1 return
For F1’s return this weekend, the first and third DRS zones at the Marina Bay Street circuit have been extended by five meters each.
The first DRS zone, the straight between turns five and six, starts 53 meters after five laps. For 2022, the activation point has been moved five meters back so drivers can use DRS 48m after cornering.
The second DRS zone, located a hair after turn 13, is unchanged from the previous bridge section. But the third zone, which used to start 48 meters after the last corner, now starts 43 meters after the apex of the 23rd turn.
The W Series wants to add reverse grid runs
W Series’ CEO Catherine Bond Muir has said she wants to see inverted grid races in the championship again after the series successfully trialled the format in 2019.
A non-championship race was held that year when the W Series supported the DTM and the battle for victory was decided by a photo finish. Since then, it has been held on the F1 support account, where the schedule is strict, although it was able to run two races on the weekend twice last year and twice this year.
But although the championship could be dominated by Jamie Chadwick this weekend in the 2022 season, Bond Muir said the series was unlikely to change its format to increase interest in the final rounds.
“I don’t think we can do that quickly enough under our rules,” she explained. “With the DTM, we had a lot more time and that reverse-grid race was an extra race, so to speak.
“And racing with F1, our time is limited and very dictated. So unfortunately, in this case, I don’t think we can. But it would be nice to have it and considering how good it was in 2019, I would love to have a reverse grid again. But at the moment this is It’s not the season.”
Exclusive Autosport will make its first road sign to Indy
Exclusive Autosport has nominated Lewis Foster for this year’s Indy Pro 2000 title, and the team has already started filling its books for 2023.
His IP2000 lineup will be bolstered by the arrival of Yuven Sundaramoorthy, who came 10th in his rookie season this year. Prior to that, he won the tournament at USF2000, and Exclusive retained Jacob Douglas for a second season.
Advertisement | Become a RaceFans fan and
Links
Motor Racing Links of Interest:
W Series may not complete 2022 season due to ‘significant’ financial issues (The Telegraph)
“Speaking to Muir on Wednesday night, Bond said the current global financial crisis and the falling pound had made her job more difficult. But she was confident the series would survive.”
Max Verstappen set to join exclusive club… and best in 20 years (The Times)
‘Max Verstappen is on the verge of joining an exclusive club of only 16 drivers who have won two or more F1 world championships. Less than ten months after winning his first title, the 24-year-old can take a second at the Singapore GP, with five races to go. If he succeeds, it will be his first final in 20 years.’
French GP Historic Grounds 2023 Date (Auto Hebdo)
The history of the GP de France is brought to the Easter weekend from Friday 7th to Sunday 9th April. The meeting, which celebrates the history of F1 and single-seaters, is always held at the Paul-Richard circuit.’
Stealing everything on IndyCar action for 2023 (Razor)
Sting Ray Robb is preparing to make the jump to the IndyCar Series. With so many offers to consider, the Indy Lights Championship runner-up decided it wasn’t worth it to return to Indy for a third season at the top level.’
‘VIPs look tough’ to secure 2023 seat (Formula Scout)
It was really hard. It has taught me a lot, I think I have grown a lot as a person and as a driver.
Pro-Am battle to add S5000 racing in Tasman, Gold Star Series (S5000)
A Pro-Am category will be added to the S5000 Tasman Series and the 2023 S5000 Australian Drivers’ Championship. The ‘Silver Star’ was introduced in the late Formula Holden/Brabham era, returning a further nod to the history of Australian open-wheel racing.’
We always strive to credit original sources. If you have a tip for a single seater motorsport link to be featured in the next RaceFans Roundup, send it through the contact form.
Advertisement | Become a RaceFans fan and
happy birthday!
Happy birthday to Donwaters!
This day in motorsport
20 years ago today, Michael Schumacher tried to set up a dead heat at the US Grand Prix in Indianapolis – and suddenly let his Ferrari team-mate Rubens Barrichello win by 0.011 seconds.
