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Семикратный чемпион мира Формулы 1 Льюис Хэмилтон назвал имя пилота, которого взял бы на своё место в Mercedes.
На вопрос, хотел ли бы он видеть Карлоса Сайнса в роли своего преемника, Хэмилтон ответил: «Я думаю, что Карлос – потрясающий гонщик, и его приход станет хорошей новостью для любой команды.
Честно говоря, понятия не имею, каковы планы Тото, но я считаю, что контракт с молодым пилотом был бы правильным шагом. Если бы решение принимал я, наверное, мой выбор бы пал на Кими Антонелли».
The race organiser is confident that there will be significant take-up of the rules it is putting in place for the carbon-neutral fuel.
According to club president Pierre Fillon, there will be at least one hydrogen prototype on the grid for the centrepiece round of the World Endurance Championship in 2028 and “two or three the year after, or maybe more”.
“We have been working on hydrogen since 2018 and the interest from the manufacturers is real,” Fillon told Motorsport.com.
“Initially we were a little bit alone in our ideas, but now there is momentum.”
The original plan to integrate hydrogen machinery into the Hypercar class called for an introduction this year before a series of one-year delays.
Fillon confirmed that the regulations will be in place for 2027, but he admitted that a prototype running the alternative fuel almost certainly will not arrive until 2028.
Toyota looks most likely to be the first manufacturer to arrive after declaring its intention to contest Le Mans with a car powered by hydrogen-fuelled internal combustion engine at the launch of the GR HY Concept show car last year.
Alpine is evaluating the same technology for application on both the road and race track and launched the Alpenglow Hy4, which it dubbed a “rolling lab” at last weekend’s Spa WEC round.
Neither manufacturer has laid out a timeline for an arrival at Le Mans with hydrogen, both pointing out that there are currently no regulations in place.
Alpine Alpenglow Hy4
Photo by: Alpine
Toyota Gazoo Racing Europe director Rob Leupen stated that having a car ready for 2027 would be “extremely challenging”.
Alpine has yet to commit to a hydrogen race programme, but marque motorsport boss Bruno Famin hinted that it could be ready with a hydrogen challenger by 2027.
“We hope it could be by 2027, but it doesn’t matter if it is ’26, ’27 or ’28,” he told Motorsport.com.
“What matters is that the ACO supported by the FIA are really pushing to have hydrogen technology at Le Mans, and we are very happy with that.”
More manufacturers have shown an interest in hydrogen: there are understood to have been at least eight around the relevant FIA working group.
Fillon said that there is “interest from most of the manufacturers in Hypercar”.
He explained that the forthcoming rules would allow hydrogen fuel-cell machinery, the original intent of the regulations before Toyota showed an interest in using hydrogen in a conventional engine.
“It is not our role to decide what is the best technology,” he said.
Fillon reiterated an intent on the part of the ACO for hydrogen cars to be able to compete for outright victory.
“There is no interest for the manufacturers to come in a hydrogen category,” he explained.
“It will be new technology and it can take one or two years for that to be totally competitive, but the regulations are designed to allow a hydrogen car to win.”
Fillon revealed that there will be a significant announcement at next month’s Le Mans regarding hydrogen.
The ACO will also present its show version of the third-generation of hydrogen fuel-cell prototype developed in a collaborative effort with the Franco-Swiss GreenGT organisation under the MissionH24 banner.
To be known as the H24EVO, the car will begin testing early next year and is scheduled to race like its predecessor in the in the Michelin Le Mans Cup on the European Le Mans Series bill.
Поскольку Canon выпустит R1, а вскоре и R5 Mark II, и, надеюсь, еще какую-нибудь потрясающую камеру, которая явно не будет R100 Mark II. За последние 8 месяцев или около того с тех пор, как я начал работать в Canon, мы обсуждали несколько патентных заявок. Слухи, на которые я очень надеюсь. […]
Публикация «Несколько вещей, которые мне бы хотелось, чтобы Canon выпустила в этом цикле выпусков» впервые появилась на сайте Canon Rumors.
Pramac has until the summer to unilaterally validate the agreement that would allow it to remain the only team with full factory support from Ducati in 2025 and 2026. Renewing the agreement would maintain its current conditions, so that the two riders in its line-up would be hired directly by the Bologna factory, and both would have the latest generation of Desmosedici that are identical to those of the two riders in the official workshop.
That privileged position, which currently gives access to the best bikes on the grid, was in danger of being blown to bits when Yamaha entered the scene. In the Japanese manufacturer’s eagerness to regain the satellite team it has not had since the end of 2022, it presented Pramac owner Paolo Campinoti with a very tempting offer.
After being turned down by VR46, which had always been Yamaha’s first choice as a future partner, the Iwata-based company entered into negotiations with Pramac. A member of the Japanese team, who expects an answer around the Italian GP at Mugello, told told Motorsport.com at Le Mans: «Our first alternative was always VR46, but we couldn’t convince them. So plan B is Pramac, and we hope they will accept the offer we have made them.»
Pramac has, on the one hand, the possibility of continuing with Ducati in 2025-26 with a deadline on this decision expiring in July. The benefits offered by the Yamaha route are interesting for a satellite team, but the sporting aspect detracts a lot considering the M1 package’s current lack of competitiveness.
The competition between Pramac and VR46 to become Ducati’s preferred team was the main reason why Campinoti sat down to listen to Yamaha’s offer. He has been seriously considering it, understanding that he will struggle to keep the current agreement conditions with Ducati beyond 2026.
Could Campinoti end Pramac’s relationship with Ducati to join forces with Yamaha?
Photo by: Mark Sutton
Another factor that jeopardises the Ducati relationship that made Pramac the best team in 2023, plus Jorge Martin the runner-up and current leader of the championship, is the Italian manufacturer’s firm decision to reduce spending on the salaries of its riders. The signing of Fermin Aldeguer for 2025, with a base salary of around €300,000, is the maximum exponent of this philosophy.
The change paints a discouraging picture for Campinoti, who saw himself in 2025 with Franco Morbidelli and Aldeguer, as Martin looks set to move to a factory squad next year.
Until last week, Campinoti’s chances were 50/50 between staying with Ducati or leaving for Yamaha. But something happened at Le Mans that has raised it to almost 95% to staying with the Borgo Panigale squad.
With Ducati’s new salary policy and with Bagnaia renewed until 2026, Ducati only has the budget to pay two high salaries
Marc Marquez, who is in his first season racing on a Ducati for the Gresini team and who has needed only five races to reach the competitive level of Martin and world champion Francesco Bagnaia (both on factory bikes) despite riding a 2023 machine, left Jerez two weeks ago saying that next year he wanted to ride for a factory team, and that red was his preferred choice.
«Pramac is a good team, but it is not official,» he said at the time.
In France, however, the Spaniard changed his stance, opening the door to race in a satellite squad, as long as he could have the best material and support from a factory.
«As I am competitive, it is clear that next year I want to try to have the latest evolution available,» he said on Sunday, having charged from 13th on the grid to second place in both races. «Whatever bike and whatever colour it is, but the latest specification.»
Ducati has already informed Campinoti that it is working on the possibility of adding Marquez to the rider roster (at present he is only under contract with Gresini), and giving him a top bike. This has changed the scenery overnight.
Marc Marquez wants a factory bike and Pramac could be the perfect scenario for Ducati
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
With Ducati’s new salary policy and with Bagnaia renewed until 2026, Ducati only has the budget to pay two high salaries: that of the current champion, with a base of around €6 million, and that of his future garage neighbour. At only 26 years of age and with a salary — paid by Ducati — just under €4 million, Martin is not willing to lower his demands now that he is at the peak of his career.
The Madrid-born rider has already informed the executives of the red bikes that after the Italian GP on 2 June, if he does not have the contract with the official team on the table, he will sit down with KTM. The Austrian marque has already shown interest in getting him back, following their stint together in Moto2.
For Marquez, joining the factory team would mean having to give up most of his personal sponsors, since they conflict with many of those of Ducati’s factory squad. What he would improve in salary he would lose with his sponsors, some of them important agreements and with many years of relationship, such as Red Bull, Oakley or Allianz.
Having done the maths and with general manager Gigi Dall’Igna’s promise to offer the same treatment as the two official riders, Marquez’s change of stance at Le Mans could very well respond to this reflection. Moreover, if we understand that Martin will only consider staying at Ducati if it is in the factory garage, the only formula the Italian manufacturer has to keep the two Spaniards is that. Otherwise, either #89 or #93 will be welcomed by a rival brand.
The big loser in this puzzle is Yamaha. The return to having a satellite team it lost at the end of 2022 by not extending its agreement with RNF, which aligned with Aprilia, was one of the arguments that the struggling Japanese marque used to encourage 2021 world champion Fabio Quartararo to renew until the end of 2026.
VR46’s refusal does not leave much room for manoeuvre. Plan B is Pramac, from which it expects an answer at Mugello.
«There is no plan C,» an executive of the Gerno di Lesmo-based team told Motorsport.com. «We are hopeful that Pramac will accept our offer, which is very interesting. Otherwise we don’t have an alternative in mind.»
With all the above in mind, it would not be unreasonable to think that Yamaha will be forced to continue in 2025 with only its two factory M1s on the grid. That will be despite the efforts of team boss Lin Jarvis, who wanted to leave his post with the two main objectives of his final seasons — Quartararo’s contract renewal and the recovery of a satellite squad — completed.
Yamaha is facing another season without a satellite team
Photo by: Marc Fleury
Приятно видеть, что Fuji поднимает планку качества камер формата APS-C. Я надеюсь, что это хороший сигнал для Canon сделать то же самое. За 1399 долларов Fujifilm просто обратила внимание на остальную часть отрасли. Иметь конкуренцию – это прекрасно. Вы можете оформить предзаказ у наших замечательных друзей на сайте B&H Photovideo. Призываем всех креативщиков: Fujifilm […]
Сообщение Fujifilm, анонсирующее 40-мегапиксельную камеру X-T50 с IBIS, впервые появилось на сайте Canon Rumors.
Бывший главный конструктор Red Bull Racing Эдриан Ньюи, который завершит работу с «Красными Быками» в следующем году, впервые заявил, что планирует присоединиться к другой команде Формулы 1 в будущем.
«Я серьёзно подумываю о том, чтобы сменить команду и проработать ещё четыре или пять лет. Сейчас я чувствую себя немного уставшим, но в какой-то момент я вернусь, – сказал британец BBC. – Уйти из Red Bull было очень трудным решением, но мне пришлось принять его по целому ряду причин. Они были моей семьей. Я никогда не думал, что мой уход станет такой большой новостью. То, что это появилось во всех газетах и на телевидении, было почти шоком.
На решение продолжать работать в моём возрасте повлияло несколько факторов. Во-первых, мой отец вышел на пенсию в 65 лет и немного сбился с пути. Он просто немного потерял свой дух. Также я спрашивал об уходе на пенсию ветеранов автоспорта Берни Экклстоуна и Роджера Пенске, которые работали в свои 90 и 80 лет. Они оба сказали, что мозг подобен мышцам, ему нужны упражнения, поэтому нужно продолжать работать».
Эдриан Ньюи намекнул на то, чем займётся после ухода из Red Bull
Напомним, что Ньюи договорился о досрочном освобождении от своего контракта с Red Bull, что позволит ему начать работать в другой команде в начале 2025 года. Так он сможет оказать влияние на разработку машины своего нового коллектива в соответствии с новым техническим регламентом 2026 года.
Французский телеканал сообщил о переходе Ньюи в Ferrari
Hamilton announced earlier this year that he would be leaving Mercedes at the end of this season and joining Ferrari as Charles Leclerc’s team-mate for 2025.
Although Vasseur has so far been reluctant to talk much about Hamilton, out of respect for current driver Carlos Sainz, he has now offered some background of the reasons for his determination to lure him on board.
In an exclusive interview with Autosport, Vasseur said that Hamilton’s arrival brought gains that would start many months before he even sat in a car for the first time.
«The input of Lewis or another driver is not just about qualification lap time and so on,» said Vasseur.
«It’s the finality of the job. What we all collectively can see Saturday or Sunday, at the end of the day, the job of the driver is much wider.
«It’s starting sometimes six or eight months before the season, to be able to work on the next project, to bring his own experience, his own view on what we can do, or how we could do it and so on and so on.»
Vasseur believes that, with his organisation in its current guise still in its infancy, having Hamilton’s vast experience on board will be priceless in giving Ferrari direction.
«We are still a young team,» he added. «It’s not just a matter of age, but it’s a matter of experience together, and wins together.
Frederic Vasseur, Team Principal and General Manager, Scuderia Ferrari
Photo by: Ferrari
«That means that we are quite green, or quite young, and to have someone into the loop with such a big background and such big experience will impact for sure.
«We have time to discuss this with Lewis and, for me, into the building process of the team — you want to have a long-term view and for the next cycle.
«I’m not speaking about ’24 or ’25, it’s about cycle and it’s where clearly, we have to do steps.
«We made some improvements already I think, compared to 12 months ago, to involve the drivers much earlier into the project and to build up the characteristic of the car with them.
PLUS: How Ferrari’s benign car shift has unlocked F1 performance gains
«I think we are going in the right direction. But for sure Lewis will add value.»
One of the other encouraging aspects Vasseur found about Ferrari’s signing of Hamilton was that the news did not leak from the team until the 11th hour.
Whereas previously Ferrari had been widely known for not being able to keep information within the confines of the Maranello factory walls, it was only on the morning of Hamilton’s announcements that the story properly hit the media.
«We had no leaks,» said Vasseur, who suggested that even the stories on the morning of the announcement had not come from Ferrari.
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-24, battles with Sir Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 W15
Photo by: Alexander Trienitz
«I think it was done by purpose by someone from the UK,» he smiled.
He added: «I really appreciated that we are a small group, and we worked for months, and we are able to go until the end and had no leakage. It was a good one.»
Vasseur said one of the things he has addressed specifically since joining as team principal was stopping secrets from getting out.
«We had some leakages at the beginning when I joined, even before I joined because I understood in the press that I will go to Ferrari before I started the discussion with Ferrari.
«In the last six months, you had gossip in the press, but it was gossip and not real leaks from the team.
«There was the story with [Adrian] Newey seen in Bologna because Newey was going to Mugello [to test]. That’s not a leak!
«I don’t want to make any judgment on the past, but I can’t complain. I had more leaks at Renault, for example.
«Renault, I was saying something in the debrief, and then it was in that afternoon on the websites.»
Abiteboul made the claims after his Hyundai team conducted computer simulations of the 2025 rules to see how removing hybrid, and modifications and air restrictor. will affect the current Rally1 car.
This comes after Toyota tested a physical GR Yaris, which featured a modified rear wing, that driver Elfyn Evans described as “not so exciting”.
Hyundai, Toyota and M-Sport-Ford have strongly opposed the FIA’s intention to change the technical rules for 2025. A final decision is set to be communicated at the World Motor Sport Council on 11 June.
“We found it [the 2025 car] very tricky because it is a massive loss of downforce, so it massively changes the balance of the car,” Abiteboul told Motorsport.com.
“The weight distribution of the car will be changed, and mechanical balance and aero balance will be massively changed.
“It will be a pretty crap car to drive and that is a big concern as at the end of the day we have a responsibility to make sure we have a car that is optimised.
“It is a bit ludicrous to believe you can make such a radical change in the car and not give the manufacturers the opportunity in terms of time or [homologation] joker use to re-optimise the whole package.
“That is why the car will end up being a sub-optimal product for what is an FIA world championship.
“You will find out that the drivers are very very unhappy with this car, and I don’t want to talk about the safety side of things, but it could be very difficult to control.
Ott Tänak, Martin Järveoja, Hyundai World Rally Team Hyundai i20 N Rally1
Photo by: McKlein / Motorsport Images
“I know everyone will say ‘just drive slower’, but still if the fundamental characteristic of the car is wrong.
“I don’t think it is up to the standard of this championship. This is why we have decided not to develop that car but to focus on the car we have now.”
While a technical pathway is yet to be confirmed for next year, Hyundai has committed its resources to improving its current Rally1 for next year. Motorsport.com understands there is a strong chance that the existing Rally1 rules will remain in place until 2027.
“I believe we have a technical regulation that does work,” Abiteboul added.
“If you look at the gaps in Croatia, that is mind-blowing. There is no category in motorsport that offers such tight gaps for a category that has no BoP, for a category that is mostly open for development.
“Right now, it is difficult for us and our design office because there is very limited time, and we have so many options to cover.
“Hybrid, yes or no, and rear wing, yes or no and are we going to change the power of the engine with the restrictor, there are a lot of question marks.
“When I’m talking to the people of the design office, I don’t know what to ask them to do.
“What I can tell you is, right now, we are not in a position to cover all the possible scenarios in terms of technical regulation.
“We have elected to go for what we believe is the right scenario for the sport, and the right scenario for us and to focus on that.
“Because if you start to spread your resources in motorsport, you know you are going to achieve nothing.”
A decision between the three riders is expected to be announced at the end of the month at the Italian Grand Prix, a race where Bastianini has never finished higher than ninth in the premier class.
Asked how the talk about Ducati potentially replacing him with either Martin or Marquez is impacting him, he said: “The feeling is strange because I have the speed.
“But sometimes you have to be lucky and you have to mix some things. And at the moment this has not happened for me. I’m also angry for this.
“I think Ducati see my potential and see what I can do. But Ducati also see what Jorge does at the moment. He also won the race [at Le Mans] and is a really fast rider.
“I know the Ducati decision is too difficult.”
Enea Bastianini, Ducati Team
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
After an injury-ridden 2023 season in which he scored no podiums other than his stunning victory in Malaysia, Bastianini has rediscovered his form this year and is yet to finish lower than fifth in a Sunday race.
His results, highlighted by rostrum finishes in Portugal and US, have put him a joint third in the championship, on the same score as Marquez and only two points off Bagnaia.
In last weekend’s Le Mans event, Bastianini recovered from a long-lap penalty for cutting a corner to take fourth at the chequered flag after lapping quicker than leaders running at the front of the pack.
The Ducati rider explained that a breakthrough during the post-Spanish Grand Prix test at Jerez allowed him to extract more speed out of the GP24, but his weekend was compromised by mistakes of his own making.
“In Jerez we tried some new solutions and one was really good for me,” he revealed. “And from that moment I was much faster from the start, with the new tyre, with the old tyre.
“And I was confident for that this weekend. At the end I was fast, but many mistakes, many errors during the race weekend.
“Nothing [to show for the progress]. Two fourth places.”