Vettel 2018 move ‘not on the table right now’ for Mercedes

By Jun 1, 2017, 8:30 AM EDT
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Mercedes Formula 1 chief Toto Wolff says the team is not currently considering a move for Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel for the 2018 season, although he could not rule the German out as an option for next year.

Mercedes currently races with Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas in F1, the latter having joined the team at the start of the season on a one-year contract following world champion Nico Rosberg’s retirement.

Bottas has made an impressive start to life with Mercedes, winning his fourth race for the team, but his seat is one of the most attractive on the grid.

Vettel is one of the biggest-name drivers out of contract at the end of the year, and currently leads the drivers’ championship by 25 points from Hamilton following his third victory of the season in Monaco last weekend.

Speaking to Press Association, Wolff said that a move for Vettel is not currently on Mercedes’ radar, but added that there are a number of drivers who would be under consideration.

“Taking Sebastian out of the equation at this stage would be silly, but equally it is not on the table right now,” Wolff said.

“I don’t see a reason why Sebastian should leave a team that probably have an equal package with us at the moment.

“‘He would not be the only one to look at. We have our young drivers that are developing well and I like both of the Red Bull drivers.

“When the time comes to assess I think there could be up to 10 drivers we would look at more closely.”

However, Wolff said that if Bottas were to continue his upward trajectory and progression with Mercedes from the early part of the season, the team would have no need to alter its line-up.

“If the season were to continue like it was now, with Valtteri’s performance ramping up all the time and him being an important and well-performing part of the team, I don’t see a reason for change.”

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.”