Lewis Hamilton wants ‘alternative plan’ to prevent repeat of China practice scrapping

By Apr 7, 2017, 3:13 PM EDT
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Lewis Hamilton wants Formula 1 bosses to work out an “alternative plan” to keep fans entertained in the event of track running being scrapped after the majority of Friday practice for the Chinese Grand Prix was canceled.

Thick fog in Shanghai meant the medical helicopter being used was unable to land at the local hospital, while an alternative route via road was not quick enough to meet the FIA’s safety requirements.

As a result, drivers got just 21 minutes’ worth of running on Friday, with the entirety of FP2 being abandoned due to the weather conditions.

Hamilton ventured out across the pit straight during FP2 to meet his fans in the grandstand, but said he felt sorry for those watching.

“The track was absolutely fine and we could have run all day today with no issue if it weren’t for the clouds,” Hamilton said.

“It’s not good for the fans watching on TV and even worse for all those people in the stands, who have paid money to come out here from the city or even from other countries. They’ve barely seen a car on track today, which must be tough for them.

“We need to work together with the FIA and FOM to find a solution or an alternative plan of some kind when we have circumstances like this in the future.”

Following the lack of running, teams were reportedly offered an hour’s worth of practice later on Friday, only for this to be rejected, with weather conditions also not improving at this time.

Team bosses met with FIA race director Charlie Whiting to discuss the idea of holding the China race on Saturday given the poor forecast for Sunday, only for this also to be decided against, with the weekend set to continue as originally planned.

IndyCar disappointed by delay of video game but aiming to launch at start of 2024

By Mar 27, 2023, 3:00 PM EDT
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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.”