Tost backs Vergne to get a “big result” soon

By Aug 17, 2014, 9:00 AM EDT
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Scuderia Toro Rosso team principal Franz Tost has given his support to Jean-Eric Vergne as the Frenchman fights for his place in Formula 1.

Vergne joined the Red Bull junior team back in 2012, but missed out on a promotion to the senior outfit when teammate Daniel Ricciardo got the nod. In 2014, he has struggled to make much of an impact, and is now coming under pressure from Formula Renault 3.5 driver Carlos Sainz Jr. for the seat at Faenza.

Speaking to Autosport, Tost admitted that Vergne did need a big result to answer his critics, but praised the Frenchman for coming a long way since last season.

“He made a lot of progress during the winter months so he is much more stable this year,” he said. “He is doing a good job.

“Unfortunately he has had a lot of reliability issues with his car, but from the driving point of view he is fast, skilled, and I just hope he gets a really good result.”

Vergne has not finished any higher than eighth on track so far this season, but has shown signs of pace. In Monaco, he was running as high as sixth, and even sat second in Hungary before dropping back down the order.

“Monaco would have been the kick to give him self-confidence to score a lot of points, and then everything becomes much easier,” Tost said. “You need the results because this is the confirmation.”

Vergne’s future at Toro Rosso will be just one part of the silly season spectacular that Formula 1 is set to throw up in 2014, and so long as Sainz continues to dominate his championship, the Spaniard will be the favorite to race alongside Daniil Kvyat next season.

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.”