Bottas: Ferrari ‘outperforming us so much’ at Hungary

By Jul 29, 2017, 9:42 AM EDT
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Mercedes AMG Petronas teammates Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton have a tough task facing them in Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix (7 a.m. ET, NBCSN), the final race before Formula 1’s summer break.

Not only were Bottas and Hamilton outqualified by the pair of Scuderia Ferraris, Sebastian Vettel on pole and Kimi Raikkonen in second, but they were by a significant margin.

The warning shot was fired at the start of Q3 when Bottas set what was a new track record at the Hungaroring of 1:16.631, but then a fraction of a second later Vettel threw down a 1:16.276 – nearly four tenths quicker – and the time that stood for pole position.

Hamilton didn’t put in a banker lap and could only muster a 1:16.707 on his first and only timed flier later in the session, and even that was a tenth and a half off Bottas, who improved to a 1:16.530.

Raikkonen eclipsed Bottas for second at a 1:16.444. The only bright side for Bottas, perhaps, is that he’ll be starting on the clean side of the track with the even spots on the grid notoriously dirty leaving the line in Budapest.

Bottas, who usually finds a way to be optimistic, was downcast after ending third in qualifying and as far off Ferrari as he and the Mercedes team was.

“They had the upper hand today. They have such quicker cars. They have everything right for this track,” Bottas told NBCSN’s Will Buxton on the front straight, who conducted the post-qualifying interview.

“We still have so much work to do on circuits like this. Let’s see how this goes tomorrow.”

Like at Monaco, Ferrari clearly has the upper hand, and for the balance of this season, it was important for the overall championship battle that Ferrari maintained momentum on a slower track where mechanical grip seems to play more of a role than outright horsepower.

“This weekend yes, clearly,” Bottas responded when asked if Mercedes was on the back foot. “They’re outperforming us so much. We have so much work to do with the car.

“It’ll be a long one tomorrow and the hope is that anything is possible.”

Vettel won here in 2015, but that has been Ferrari’s only Hungary win since 2004 – when Michael Schumacher won what was his 12th win in the first 13 races of that season. Ferrari’s front row lockout today was its first at Hungary since 2004, when Schumacher led Barrichello.

The Ferrari qualifying dominance today also ensures Hamilton will have to wait until after the summer break to secure a record-tying 68th career pole position, which would draw him level with Schumacher for most all-time.

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
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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).