Losing time behind Button “crucial” for Vettel

By Jul 28, 2013, 11:30 AM EDT
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Sebastian Vettel has explained how he lost the chance to challenge Lewis Hamilton for victory today at the Hungarian Grand Prix after getting stuck behind Jenson Button following his first pit stop.

Vettel pitted on lap 11 for fresh tires in an attempt to catch Hamilton, but he instead came out of the pits behind Button which allowed Hamilton to pull away. Instead of quickly passing Button, Vettel lost twelve laps behind the McLaren driver and he believes that this was “crucial” in determining the result of the race.

“It was not the best race,” Vettel said on the podium after the race. “The start was difficult and when Lewis pulled in we thought we could do it on the softs. I lost a bit and came out behind Jenson which was crucial. I damaged my front wing which did not help.”

In the final stint of the race, Vettel came close to passing Kimi Raikkonen for 2nd place but he could not find a way past.

“I tried to hang on in there and tried to fight back with Kimi. I could not get him on the straight. We wanted a little bit more today.”

Despite failing to win the Hungarian Grand Prix for the first time, Vettel has extended his lead in the drivers’ championship to 38 points, putting him in a strong position heading into the summer break.

IndyCar disappointed by delay of video game but aiming to launch at start of 2024

By Mar 27, 2023, 3:00 PM EDT
IndyCar video game 2024
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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.”