Kevin Magnussen to start Bahrain GP from pit lane - MotorSportsTalk

Kevin Magnussen will start Sunday’s Bahrain Grand Prix from the pit lane after failing to stop for a weight check during practice on Friday at the Bahrain International Circuit.

Magnussen finished second practice in 16th place for Renault, but failed to stop for a mandatory FIA weight check when requested during the session.

“The driver failed to stop for weighing during P2 when signalled to do so by the red traffic light, the car was not returned to the FIA garage and work was undertaken,” a statement from the stewards read.

“In accordance with Article 29.1 iv) of the FIA Formula One Sporting Regulations the driver is required to start from the pit lane.”

Magnussen felt pleased with his Friday running, having said earlier in the weekend that Renault could target its first points of the season in Bahrain.

“We got through all of today’s programme and logged plenty of running so it’s been a good day and I’m happy,” Magnussen said.

“We’ll work hard this evening to analyse all our data as usual and see if we can find more pace as we’re not yet as strong as we were in Melbourne relative to our rivals.

“It’ll be interesting to see what the weather does as well; today’s temperatures did have an effect on the tires. We’ve seen rain this week so let’s see what happens tomorrow.”

However, Magnussen hopes of reaching the top 10 have now taken a serious blow with his pit lane start, leaving Renault with plenty of work to do on Sunday.

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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.”