Vettel from Alonso in final practice for Italian GP

By Sep 7, 2013, 6:04 AM EDT
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Sebastian Vettel has picked up where he left off in Italy by finishing quickest in the final practice session ahead of qualifying later today at Monza.

The German driver posted a best time of 1:24.360 to finish almost three-tenths ahead of Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso and teammate Mark Webber, both of whom could not ably challenge the defending world champion on Saturday morning.

Charles Pic and Giedo van der Garde were the first drivers to post times in FP3, giving Caterham a brief period at the top of the timesheets before Sergio Perez and Jean-Eric Vergne both put in impressive laps to lead early on. All of the drivers opted to take on the hard tire in order to estimate their pace for Q1 and the race tomorrow, with this session traditionally seeing the softer compound used in the final few minutes of FP3. Following on from yesterday, Sebastian Vettel continued to lay down a searing pace, moving five-tenths clear of the field early on before his teammate, Mark Webber, halved the deficit to move into P2.

The only driver that really appeared capable of challenging Vettel on the harder compound was Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso. The team, celebrating their home race this weekend, elected to send Alonso around the circuit with Felipe Massa just ahead, giving the Spanish driver the advantage of his slipstream, reducing drag. Although this strategy has been criticized in the past, Alonso proved that it was working by moving up into second place, albeit four-tenths down on Vettel out in front. His best chance to topple the German driver was hampered by yellow flags, forcing him to slow down after Paul di Resta went off at Parabolica. The Force India made heavy contact with the wall, ending his session with around half an hour remaining. Nico Rosberg was similarly unfortunate, completing just five laps in the sixty-minute session.

With just under ten minutes remaining, the drivers all fitted a set of the medium tires in order to put in a low fuel qualifying simulation run. Daniel Ricciardo was the first to post a competitive time on the option compound, going third-fastest behind compatriot Mark Webber before Alonso bumped him down to P4. Vettel resumed normal service, going quickest by two-tenths from Alonso whilst Jenson Button continued his good form to move well inside the top ten. Lewis Hamilton – pursuing a fifth consecutive pole position – failed to bother the front-runners with his first time on the medium tire, going eighth. He did however improve with his second flying lap like much of the field, moving up to P4 ahead of Perez and Ricciardo.

When the checkered flag fell, it was Vettel who once again finished clear at the top of the timesheets, making himself favorite to score his first pole position since Canada later today.

Ford unveils a new Mustang for 2024 Le Mans in motorsports ‘lifestyle brand’ retooling

Associated PressJun 9, 2023, 7:00 PM EDT
Ford Mustang Le Mans
Ford Performance
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LE MANS, France — Ford has planned a return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans with its iconic Mustang muscle car next year under a massive rebranding of Ford Performance aimed at bringing the automotive manufacturer “into the racing business.”

The Friday unveil of the new Mustang Dark Horse-based race car follows Ford’s announcement in February (and a ballyhooed test at Sebring in March) that it will return to Formula One in 2026 in partnership with reigning world champion Red Bull.

The Mustang will enter the GT3 category next year with at least two cars in both IMSA and the World Endurance Championship, and is hopeful to earn an invitation to next year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. The IMSA entries will be a factory Ford Performance program run by Multimatic, and a customer program in WEC with Proton Competition.

Ford CEO Jim Farley, also an amateur sports car racer, told The Associated Press the Mustang will be available to compete in various GT3 series across the globe to customer teams. But more important, Farley said, is the overall rebranding of Ford Performance – done by renowned motorsports designer Troy Lee – that is aimed at making Ford a lifestyle brand with a sporting mindset.

“It’s kind of like the company finding its own, and rediscovering its icons, and doubling down on them,” Farley told the AP. “And then this motorsports activity is getting serious about connecting enthusiast customers with those rediscovered icons. It’s a big switch for the company – this is really about building strong, iconic vehicles with enthusiasts at the center of our marketing.”

Ford last competed in sports car racing in 2019 as part of a three-year program with Chip Ganassi Racing. The team scored the class win at Le Mans in 2016 in a targeted performance aimed to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Ford snapping Ferrari’s six-year winning streak.

Ford on Friday displayed a Mustang with a Lee-designed livery that showcased the cleaner, simplified look that will soon be featured on all its racing vehicles. The traditional blue oval with Ford Performance in white lettering underneath will now be branded simply FP.

The new mark will be used across car liveries, merchandise and apparel, display assets, parts and accessories and in advertising.

Farley cited Porsche as an automaker that has successfully figured out how to sell cars to consumers and race cars in various series around the world while creating a culture of brand enthusiasts. He believes Ford’s new direction will help the company sell street cars, race cars, boost interest in driving schools, and create a merchandise line that convinces consumers that a stalwart of American automakers is a hip, cool brand.

“We’re going to build a global motorsports business off road and on road,” Farley told the AP, adding that the design of the Mustang is “unapologetically American.”

He lauded the work of Lee, who is considered the top helmet designer among race car drivers.

“We’re in the first inning of a nine inning game, and going to Le Mans is really important,” Farley said. “But for customer cars, getting the graphics right, designing race cars that win at all different levels, and then designing a racing brand for Ford Performance that gets rebranded and elevated is super important.”

He said he’s kept a close eye on how Porsche and Aston Martin have built their motorsports businesses and said Ford will be better.

“We’re going in the exact same direction. We just want to be better than them, that’s all,” Farley said. “Second is the first loser.”

Farley, an avid amateur racer himself, did not travel to Le Mans for the announcement. The race that begins Saturday features an entry from NASCAR, and Ford is the reigning Cup Series champion with Joey Logano and Team Penske.

The NASCAR “Garage 56” entry is a collaboration between Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet and Goodyear, and is being widely celebrated throughout the industry. Farley did feel left out of the party in France – a sentiment NASCAR tried to avoid by inviting many of its partners to attend the race so that it wouldn’t seem like a Chevrolet-only celebration.

“They’re going right and I’m going left – that NASCAR thing is a one-year deal, right? It’s Garage 56 and they can have their NASCAR party, but that’s a one-year party,” Farley said. “We won Le Mans outright four times, we won in the GT class, and we’re coming back with Mustang and it’s not a one-year deal.

“So they can get all excited about Garage 56. I almost see that as a marketing exercise for NASCAR, but for me, that’s a science project,” Farley continued. “I don’t live in a world of science projects. I live in the world of building a vital company that everyone is excited about. To do that, we’re not going to do a Garage 56 – I’ve got to beat Porsche and Aston Martin and Ferrari year after year after year.”

Ford’s announcement comes on the heels of General Motors changing its GT3 strategy next season and ending its factory Corvette program. GM, which unlike Ford competes in the IMSA Grand Touring Prototype division (with its Cadillac brand), will shift fully to a customer model for Corvettes in 2024 (with some factory support in the IMSA GTD Pro category).