In the round-up: McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown says he will not prevent test driver Colton Herta from pursuing race opportunities in Formula 1 outside of the team.
In brief
McLaren won’t ‘hold Herta back’ from F1 opportunities elsewhere – Brown
Colton Herta tested a 2021 McLaren Formula 1 car in Portugal in July as part of a programme with the team. After McLaren confirmed Oscar Piastri as Lando Norris’s team mate for 2023, Brown said they would not prevent Herta from pursuing other F1 opportunities with rival teams.
“I think we would never want to hold a driver back,” Brown said. “Racing drivers want to drive. I think it’s admirable that someone like Oscar sits out a year – we’ve seen Esteban [Ocon] sit out a year – but we want to encourage racing drivers to race.”
Newgarden hit by six place engine grid penalty
Josef Newgarden will start Sunday’s IndyCar race at Portland from six places further back on the grid than he qualifies after taking a fifth engine of the season ahead of Friday’s practice sessions. The Penske driver sits three points behind team mate Will Power in the drivers’ standings with just two races remaining in the series.
First practice at the track, which is ongoing, was heavily delayed by a red flag caused by a video screen collapsing (see below).
‘Welcome to McLaren, Oscar’, says Norris
Lando Norris says he is looking forward to racing alongside Oscar Piastri when 2021 Formula 2 champion joins him at McLaren in 2023.
The Alpine junior driver has been formally confirmed at McLaren for next season following the decision of the FIA’s contract recognition board. Piastri will be Norris’s third team mate at McLaren since making his debut in 2019 and will be his first team mate younger than him.
“I look forward to it,” said Norris. “Another new year, someone new to work with.
“It’s always different for every driver to work with someone different and of course it will be a new challenge for everyone, including himself. So yeah, welcome to the team Oscar.”
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