Mixed emotions as Button promoted to podium in Melbourne

By Mar 17, 2014, 11:31 AM EDT
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There were several story lines of note that came out of the result change when Daniel Ricciardo was disqualified from second place in the 2014 Australian Grand Prix.

One of them we haven’t hit up to this point on MotorSportsTalk is the guy actually promoted to the podium as a result of the disqualification, McLaren’s Jenson Button.

Rookie teammate Kevin Magnussen has received a lot of virtual ink this offseason and especially after his debut, but Button shaded him throughout the race.

Once promoted, Button unfortunately did not have the chance to celebrate on the podium due to the lateness of the decision to DQ Ricciardo.

It would have been a nice touch after the loss of his father John this winter, who was a fixture at all but one of Button’s 248 prior Grands Prix. Button carried a tribute on his helmet.

Jenson did have some happier news with his engagement to longtime girlfriend Jessica Michibata also during the offseason.

“I’ll be honest: this weekend has been an emotional one for me, and the support I’ve had has been absolutely brilliant,” said Button, via the UK’s Mirror.

“That being the case, it would have been a real bonus if I could have celebrated my third place from the podium, alongside Nico [Rosberg] and Kevin [Magnussen].

“But I really feel for Daniel, who drove a great race in his first race for his new team, in front of his home crowd.”

For Button, the podium is the 50th of his career and his first Australian podium that wasn’t a race win, after three prior triumphs there in 2009, 2010 and 2012.

And for McLaren, the double podium is already two more than they had last year. With 33 points, they lead the Constructor’s Championship heading to Malaysia in two weeks.

Here were Jenson’s tweets after the race:

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
IndyCar
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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.”