First blood to Fernando Alonso in Canadian GP practice

By Jun 6, 2014, 11:31 AM EDT
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Fernando Alonso has finished quickest in the first practice session for this weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix, edging out Lewis Hamilton at the top of the timesheets by just 0.016 seconds.

The Ferrari driver posted a fastest lap time of 1:17.238 to beat Hamilton, who had looked set to finish the session fastest. His Mercedes teammate, Nico Rosberg, slotted into third place, a further one-tenth of a second down on Alonso.

As has been commonplace in 2014, the first 30 minutes saw a number of the drivers head out early in order to use Pirelli’s extra set of tires. Predictably, Mercedes one again went fastest of all in the first part of the session, with Hamilton leading Rosberg by just 0.050 seconds after their initial efforts.

However, both drivers did have a few unstable moments at the first corner, with Hamilton taking to the run-off area at one point. Daniel Ricciardo kissed the wall coming out of the first chicane, but gently enough to not sustain any damage to his Red Bull.

American driver Alexander Rossi’s first few laps in the Caterham were tentative, which was expected given that this was his first time driving a 2014-spec car. However, he soon found his feet and was matching the times of stablemate Marcus Ericsson. He eventually finished the session in last place, though, albeit just four-tenths of a second behind the Swede.

Marussia’s Jules Bianchi was the first to push slightly too much and make contact with the wall on the exit of turn four. His right-rear kicked out and was damaged, forcing him to crawl back to the pits at a pedestrian pace.

With 30 minutes to go, Rosberg improved his time to move ahead of his teammate as a number of drivers found more pace once the track had rubbered in. Hamilton soon redressed the balance with a lap that was almost half a second faster than Rosberg’s effort, and Fernando Alonso also managed to better his time to split the Mercedes drivers.

The Spaniard then went one better, and moved to the top of the timesheets with 20 minutes to go. Hamilton looked to re-claim first place, but a lock up at the hairpin meant that he lost the chance to improve. He had been two-tenths of a second faster than Alonso through the first two sectors.

Valtteri Bottas put in a late time to move up to fifth place behind Sebastian Vettel, but at the top of the timesheets, no-one could beat Alonso’s effort. Although Mercedes still appears to be the team to beat, Ferrari will undoubtedly be pleased with the Spaniard’s early showing here in Canada.

You can watch second practice for the Canadian Grand Prix live on NBCSN and Live Extra from 2pm ET.

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).