United States GP qualifying rained off until Sunday

By Oct 24, 2015, 5:00 PM EDT
© Getty Images
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Qualifying for the United States Grand Prix has been postponed until Sunday morning after torrential rain prevented the session from starting on Saturday afternoon.

Following a wet practice session that went ahead as planned at 10am CT, rain intensified at the Circuit of The Americas in the two-hour gap ahead of qualifying’s original start time of 1pm CT (2pm ET).

FIA race director Charlie Whiting ventured out onto the track in the safety car to assess conditions before deciding to delay qualifying, initially by 30 minutes.

After delaying the start of the session five times in a bid to allow for a break in the weather, race control eventually opted to postpone qualifying until Sunday morning.

The broadcast of qualifying will be at 10 a.m. ET, 9 a.m. CT and local time LIVE on CNBC, and also available via NBC Sports Live Extra. 

United States Grand Prix Qualifying – Rolling Updates

1340 ET – FIA confirms that qualifying is delayed by 30 minutes until 1430 ET (1330 CT), with Whiting saying that a break in the weather may come about in an hour.

It is thought that there could be a window to allow Q1 to take place, but running beyond that is uncertain.

1400 ET – FIA communications chief Matteo Bonciani spoke to NBCSN’s Will Buxton with an update on the weather, saying: “We’re trying to see if we can go ahead on qualifying. Between us, we want to have a qualifying, but it could be better later.

“Or maybe we postpone it a little bit more… We will see if we can run qualy, otherwise we will run tomorrow.”

1413 ET – Still no further updates… but Jenson Button may have just won Twitter today.

1420 ET – Race control confirms that qualifying has been delayed by a further 30 minutes, making the new planned start time 1500 ET (1400 CT).

1448 ET – No further updates. Qualifying looks increasingly likely to be postponed until tomorrow.

1450 ET – Qualifying delayed by another 30 minutes. Planned start is now 1530 ET. Whiting is heading out in the safety car once again to assess conditions.

1516 ET – Word in the paddock is that Whiting is unwilling to call it a day until absolutely necessary, meaning that we could be waiting another couple of hours to see if we’re going to get running in Austin.

In better news, the marshals and photographers have been recovered by buses to give them a chance to get dry and warm – so no chance of a resumption anytime soon.

The teams are, thankfully, trying to make the best of the situation.

1522 ET – Another 30 minute delay, theoretical (but unlikely) start time of 1600 ET.

1555 ET – 30 more minutes. New start time 1630 ET. For those looking to tune in to qualifying, watch live now via Live Extra – stream it here.

1616 ET – Latest update from race control: “If there is no clear sign of a break in the weather conditions at 1600 [CT, 1700 ET], qualifying will be postponed until 0900 on Sunday morning.”

1700 ET – Finally, race control confirms that qualifying has been postponed until 9am CT on Sunday. Time to go and dry off…

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).