Bianchi feeling postive following first Marussia run - MotorSportsTalk

Jules Bianchi came out of his first Formula One test for Marussia feeling positive for the season ahead.

The Frenchman was only announced to be racing for the team on Friday, but he was immediately quick in the MR02 car.

“The past 24 hours have passed by so quickly, having signed for my new team and tested our new car in such a short space of time.

“Today has been pretty busy but we have been very fortunate to have dry weather, warm conditions, a reliable day and plenty of mileage, so in many ways I couldn’t have asked for more on my first day in the MR02.”

Bianchi finished 12th, ahead of closest rivals Caterham, and his pace was on par with that of new teammate Max Chilton. His Formula One aspirations appeared to have been dealt a blow after he missed out on the Force India seat, but Bianchi is now itching to get racing in Melbourne in two weeks time.

“My thanks to the team for a big welcome and for working so hard into the night to create the seat and have everything ready for me today.

“I feel very positive for Australia and the rest of the season.”

Bianchi will get his final run in the Marussia MR02 before the start of the season this morning in Barcelona, with teammate Max Chilton closing the test in the afternoon.

An IndyCar executive said there is “absolutely” disappointment that its long-awaited video game recently was delayed beyond its target date, but the series remains optimistic about the new title.

“Well, I don’t know how quick it will be, but the whole situation is important to us,” Penske Entertainment president and CEO Mark Miles said during a news conference Monday morning to announce IndyCar’s NTT title sponsorship. “Motorsport Games has spent a lot of money, a lot of effort to create an IndyCar title. What we’ve seen of that effort, which is not completely obvious, is very reassuring.

“I think it’s going to be outstanding. That’s our shared objective, that when it is released, it’s just widely accepted. A great credit both to IndyCar racing, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, something that our fans love.”

In June 2021, IndyCar announced a new partnership with Motorsport Games to create and distribute an IndyCar video game for the PC and Xbox and PlayStation consoles in 2023.

But during an earnings call last week, Motorsport Games said the IndyCar game had been delayed to 2024 to ensure high quality.

Somewhat compounding the delay is that IndyCar’s license for iRacing expired after the end of the 2022 season because of its exclusive agreement with Motorsport Games.

That’s resulted in significant changes for IndyCar on iRacing, which had provided a high-profile way for the series to stay visible during its 2020 shutdown from the pandemic. (Players still can race an unbranded car but don’t race on current IndyCar tracks, nor can they stream).

That’s helped ratchet up the attention on having a video game outlet for IndyCar.

“I wish we had an IndyCar title 10 years ago,” said Miles, who has been working with the organization since 2013. “We’ve been close, but we’ve had these I think speed bumps.”

IndyCar is hopeful the Motorsports Game edition will be ready at the start of 2024. Miles hinted that beta versions could be unveiled to reporters ahead of the time “to begin to show the progress in a narrow way to make sure we’ve got it right, to test the progress so that we’re ready when they’re ready.”

It’s been nearly 18 years since the release of the most recent IndyCar video game for console or PC.

“(We) better get it right,” Miles said. “It’s something we’re very close to and continue to think about what it is to make sure we get it over the line in due course.”