Carlos Sainz Jr. on F1 Spa pole with Max Verstappen dropping to 15th for grid penalty

Associated PressAug 27, 2022, 12:15 PM EDT
Carlos Sainz Spa pole
Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images
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SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium — Carlos Sainz Jr will start from the pole position  Sunday at the Belgian Grand Prix because Formula One points leader Max Verstappen was among the many drivers to be hit with grid penalties.

Sainz was actually second fastest to Verstappen in Saturday qualifying, but the reigning world champion will drop to 15th ahead of the start. Verstappen otherwise would have won his fourth pole of the season and 17th of his career.

The Red Bull driver still liked his chances based on his qualifying speed.

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“With a car like this, it would be a shame not to be on the podium,” a confident Verstappen said.

Sainz was pleased with his starting position but his Ferrari was an unsettling .632-seconds slower than Verstappen in qualifying.

“I’m happy to be starting on pole; obviously not so happy to see the gap to Max this weekend,” said the Spaniard. “But to start from pole is a good start.”

Sainz didn’t dismiss the possibility of Verstappen coming through the field and winning for the ninth time this season.

“A safety car can help him and if you translate the pace he has over 44 laps, he can come back,” Sainz said.

And, Verstappen noted he won from 10th in Hungary.

“Survive Lap 1 and then I need to pass a few cars,” Verstappen said. “It’s a bit like Hungary, a bit further back but the basics are the same.”

Verstappen will start alongside Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc, who trails the Dutchman by 80 points as F1 resumes competition following its summer break. Leclerc was fourth fastest in qualifying but, like Verstappen, received a grid penalty for changing parts and will drop to 16th.

Seven drivers in total received grid penalties ahead of the 14th race of the season. Also forced to drop to the back are: Lando Norris of McLaren, Esteban Ocon of Alpine, Zhou Guanyu of Alfa Romeo, Mick Schumacher of Haas and Valtteri Bottas of Alfa Romeo.

Bottas had earlier failed to advance out of the first group for the first time since Monaco in 2015.

With all the penalties, Red Bull driver Sergio Perez (third-fastest in qualifying) will start second ahead of Fernando Alonso of Alpine. Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell will start fourth and fifth once they move up the grid following the penalties.

Alex Albon advanced to the third round of qualifying for the first time this season, which means every driver on the F1 grid has now made it to the final round at least once this year.

The 7-kilometer (4.3-mile) circuit, nestled in the Ardennes forest, is the longest in F1 and among the best for overtaking — which could make it easier for Verstappen and the other fast cars to make it through traffic to the front.

“It should be a very exciting race for the fans,” Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said.

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).