Sirotkin: I’m not ready for F1 yet

By Oct 20, 2013, 12:00 PM EDT
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Future Sauber driver Sergey Sirotkin has called 2013 “the worst season of my life” and admitted that he is not yet ready to step up to Formula One, although he is confident that he will be sufficiently prepared for his debut in Australia in March.

Sirotkin is set to become the youngest driver in the history of the sport at the age of eighteen, with his arrival at Sauber being part of a rescue package from some Russian investors. With the inaugural Russian Grand Prix being held at Sochi next season, a home driver has been secured, but Sirotkin admits that he has a lot of work to do.

“Our preparation programme has just started so I am not quite ready but by the time the first race comes, I will be ready, I know that,” Sirotkin explained to online publication crash.net. “There is nothing I am afraid of. I am looking forward to it.”

Today marked the final round of the 2013 Formula Renault 3.5 championship, with the series widely being regarded as a training ground for future F1 drivers. However, Sirotkin has failed to impress this year, claiming two podiums and finishing in the points on just three further occasions to finish the championship in ninth place.

“This was the worst season of my life,” he said. “Unfortunately I am really unhappy with it. We had some very bright races but so many bad things happen. We are really not happy.”

Sirotkin’s teammate for 2014 has yet to be revealed but Felipe Massa and the team’s current pairing of Esteban Gutierrez and Nico Hulkenberg are all thought to be in the running for the seat.

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.”