In the round-up: Max Verstappen’s desire to race alongside his father in the Le Mans 24 Hours may go unfulfilled.
In brief
Verstappens unlikely to race together at Le Mans
Max Verstappen has often spoken of his interest in competing in other events outside Formula 1, notably the world’s most famous sportscar race, the Le Mans 24 Hours.
“My desire is to do Le Mans one day,” he said in 2019. “When it happens, I don’t know. I’m talking to my dad as well so he needs to train a bit. Because if I want to do Le Mans I would like to do it with my dad.”
However his father, ex-F1 racer Jos Verstappen, said recently his circuit racing days are behind him. “I enjoy rallying,” the 52-year-old told the family’s official website. “Let the young guys race at Le Mans. I find rallying much more exciting.”
Free event for Las Vegas F1 fans
The Las Vegas Grand Prix promoter will hold a special event for fans on the Friday and Saturday of this year’s race. Visitors and locals “can dive into the world of Formula 1 with F1 and F1 Academy team appearances, live entertainment, local food trucks and more,” said the promoter.The event will be held on the Las Vegas Boulevard near the Wynn hotel. Tickets are already available and are being offered on a first-come, first-served basis.”
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IndyCar teams evaluating first formal charter document (Racer)
'For those 10 full-time teams from 2023, a maximum of three charters are available per team; 22 Leaders Circle prize money contracts will continue being distributed; 25 total charters will be awarded and those 25 will be protected, giving guaranteed grid spots at every race except for the Indianapolis 500; and a limit of 27 cars competing in each race, except for the traditional 33 at Indy, is the foundation of the charter’s construction.'
'On the talent side, it’s kind of like tennis in that you don’t need to be a fan to attend, and it’s such prestigious events that you never know who you’ll run into. F1 has entered that cultural zeitgeist, and brands have taken notice.'
Antonelli on his 2024 helmet design (F2)
'It’s always been pretty easy to recognise, so that’s one of the main reasons why I’ve decided to keep the same design and maybe change the colours slightly. When my parents watch or other people watch, they can recognise that it’s me in the car really easily''
Floersch: My greatest influences (F3)
'I started when I was four so when you’re that age, you’re not thinking about it as a job. You’re having fun, it was a hobby, and I was enjoying it, loved being at the tracks and then at some point you’re allowed to start doing races. So, once you start getting medals and trophies, it gets even more fun.'
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Notable posts from X (formerly Twitter), TikTok and more:
Continuing the McLaren theme, here's a pic I took of Ron Dennis in his office in 1984, at the original Woking factory. Note MP4 ash tray…@McLarenF1 @club_mclaren pic.twitter.com/2MYZzALDaL
— Peter Windsor (@PeterDWindsor) August 17, 2024
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Comment of the day
He may be the Formula 2 champion but has Theo Pourchaire proved he’s good enough for Formula 1?
Since Charles Leclerc only Piastri has been really outstanding, scything through F3 and F2, so much that Alpine sidelining him has been a very unpopular move.
I don’t think adding Pourchaire, Drugovich or any other current candidate would add value to the current crop, bar a few F1 drivers.
Would Pourchaire even beat Stroll? I’d like to see Stroll out, but probably most candidates would not set the world on fire just yet.
I’m not holding my breath for Bearman either, but let’s see. We lose Magnussen’s antics but his driving has not been great so that is maybe a welcome change?
Let’s not forget that young drivers actually do enter in F1. And every time they considered someone that has not crushed the competition it’s been a forgettable addition, like Zhou, Tsunoda or Sargeant.
@Spoutnik
Happy birthday!
Happy birthday to Adam Smith, Hsvlvr and Pink Peril!
Nick T.
18th August 2024, 2:46
He just needs to leave his dad at the gas station until he changes his mind.
bernasaurus (@bernasaurus)
18th August 2024, 8:34
ha!
Bitten&Hisses (@al-perry)
18th August 2024, 9:00
Spot on
notagrumpyfan
18th August 2024, 9:10
To me you’re the Caption Competition winner this week.
Nick T.
18th August 2024, 16:28
A doff of the cap!
Mayrton
18th August 2024, 18:02
Lol
MacLeod (@macleod)
19th August 2024, 7:48
And I don’t think Sophie is going to get him…..
Nick T.
19th August 2024, 11:24
Not sure she’s allowed to drive anymore due to the CTE from Jos.
SteveR (@stever)
18th August 2024, 2:52
Yeah, a ‘special event’ to make more money. Boycott this race.
Jonathan Parkin
18th August 2024, 19:54
Will it be in Las Vegas unlike the race
Nick T.
19th August 2024, 14:46
I hate Vegas and the new LV GP, but where the race is held is considered Las Vegas by everybody. It’s literally in the middle of what is formally named the Las Vegas Strip and is on Las Vegas Boulevard. So, not sure this is quite the burn you think it is.
Jonathan Parkin
19th August 2024, 21:22
Possibly not and while it might be considered to be Las Vegas by everyone else, geographically speaking the circuit – and the Las Vegas strip – is in Paradise and Winchester
Jere (@jerejj)
18th August 2024, 6:20
I’m a little surprised that circuit racing, even as a one-off thing, is undesirable, not that Max couldn’t do the event without him anyway.
I’m sure he’ll find a pair of drivers to share a car entry with.
MacLeod (@macleod)
19th August 2024, 7:50
Alonso would join him but Max said something about looking for light drivers as he is rather heavy…..
SteveP
18th August 2024, 9:45
The thing I noted*, wasn’t the ashtray alone.
Have a look at the alignment of every item on the desk set, with respect to the side of that desk nearest to Ron.
*OK, it may be a character flaw I have.
Nick T.
18th August 2024, 16:32
As someone with crippling OCD in terms of neatness and cleanliness, Ron was always a man after my heart. I don’t even like my post-it pads to be of varying thickness…despite them living in a drawer. lol
MichaelN
18th August 2024, 17:30
Not to put too fine a point on this, but…
Ron Dennis’ antics sound like someone with OCPD – Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder. A person with OCPD will not necessarily feel ‘crippled’ by their antics that seem curious to others. Rather, they might more often be disgruntled that others don’t share their ‘perfect’ way of doing things. Like when Adrian Newey dared to paint the walls of his office in a blue tint, which Ron Dennis found very offensive.
Someone like Howard Hughes, of film and aviation fame, and somewhat accurately portrayed in The Aviator, dealt with OCD proper. He would often become ‘stuck’ in his looping obsessions and compulsions, which greatly interfered with his work, and eventually made it impossible for him to get anything done.
Ron Dennis seems to have an odd quirk, but given all he has accomplished in his work, it doesn’t sound like it was a serious hindrance to him.
Nick T.
19th August 2024, 10:25
Crippling was maybe a bit hyperbolic. Whatever the DSM/label, it is something that comes with pros and cons. Ron’s inflexibility has both hurt him and been the trademark of his McLaren and its impressive presentation, attention to detail, etc. Like your description of the paint incident, I can fly off the handle if I find someone has messed with the order of things. My ex-wife was even worse. Nobody could tolerate the two of us together at their place, but they always appreciated staying with us. lol
rprp
19th August 2024, 11:38
Crippling might not be hyperbolic if I ate a giant juicy peach in your office without cutlery. Although I suspect it wouldn’t be the person with OCPD that would be the one being crippled.
Nick T.
19th August 2024, 14:47
haha, a giant juicy peach. This image made me laugh.
Nulla Pax (@nullapax)
19th August 2024, 14:15
I don’t know what the polar opposite of OCPD is, but oh boy have I got it!
You should see the state of my desk here as I type this …. or maybe you shouldn’t! ;)
Nulla Pax (@nullapax)
19th August 2024, 14:16
Drat – that was for Nick T – I got distracted by empty crisp packets and dust!
Nick T.
19th August 2024, 14:50
My mom’s desk was always messy and she was the CEO/driving force of a multi-billion dollar company. And she is about 100x more productive than I’ve ever been. So, I don’t put much stock in the importance of a neat office.
Nulla Pax (@nullapax)
19th August 2024, 15:10
We all need to be comfortable within our own skins ;)
Neil (@neilosjames)
18th August 2024, 17:24
Fellow flawed character who also noticed.
The ‘guest chair’ not being straight is the only obvious problem I saw with the layout.
SteveP
18th August 2024, 19:55
That side of the desk is for the imperfect people.
Nick T.
19th August 2024, 10:30
It may have been at a pleasing angle that we can’t tell from the picture. I’d feel odd with a chair immediately opposite my chair / directly in my line of sight.
The planter in the corner also looks like a bit of a mess. Besides being hideous, it almost looks like there are two different plants (fake or real) directly in front of one another. More likely a badly done mixed planter. You were slipping, Ron!
Bullfrog (@bullfrog)
18th August 2024, 21:23
Is that a colour picture, or black and white? I know Ron was fond of grey.
Nick T.
19th August 2024, 10:32
Loved the black and silver with a dash of red McLarens.
Robbie1
20th August 2024, 9:54
Seriously, this has to be the headline….?
He made his comments in 2019 and, according to himself, speaks on a daily basis with his father so chances are 100% that this is really old news to him and no hopes are dashed.
Something like “Jos Verstappen says his circuit racedays are behind him.” would have been more accurate and less morose sensational clickbait.