Mercedes Motorsport Dir Toto Wolff urged Formula 1 owner Liberty Media to move away from the "supermarket car park" tracks that have joined the calendar in recent years, according to Jack de Menezes of the London INDEPENDENT. Wolff said, "The DNA of F1 was about the best technology, with the best drivers sitting on a bullet and trying to drive that bullet. ... To drive these cars today you need courage, more on some tracks than others, and we don't want to race on tracks that are like supermarket car parks. When you missed a corner in the old days you were dead or hurt. Today, you miss a corner, you run wide and rejoin. ... We need to go back to tracks where you realize who the best are." One problem with Wolff's idea, though, is there are "fewer traditional circuits available with the sufficient facilities to host" an F1 Grand Prix weekend, but the Austrian "has a solution by introducing more street circuits to increase the risk during races." Wolff: "The success of [street-based electric single-seater series] Formula E is being in town. The cars are not spectacular but they look fast in a city context, and you can see the attraction of Monte Carlo" (INDEPENDENT, 5/26).
FERNANDO ALONSO: MOTORSPORT's Lawrence Barretto reported the McLaren F1 team has not charged its sponsors "any extra for the branding and exposure they are receiving" from Fernando Alonso's Indianapolis 500 venture. Alonso's car is "almost entirely bedecked in McLaren's traditional colours and covered with stickers" representing McLaren's partners. McLaren Exec Dir Zak Brown said that the team felt offering the branding without additional cost "helped offset the loss of exposure sponsors have encountered through the team's struggles in F1" (MOTORSPORT, 5/25). In Detroit, Gregg Krupa reported IndyCar was "thrilled to have" Alonso at the race. Driver Will Power said, "It's really good for the sport. And, hopefully, it adds more people to the sport" (DETROIT NEWS, 5/26). In Indianapolis, Jim Ayello reported Alonso "made fans of all of us." He "embraced the madness from the moment he stepped off the plane" (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 5/26). The AP reported surrounded by cameras and flashing cellphones, Alonso "picked up a carton of milk and took a huge swig." The 35-year-old led 27 laps in his "much-hyped" Indy 500 debut -- the third most behind Max Chilton and Ryan Hunter-Reay -- before a blown Honda engine ended his day 20 laps shy of the finish line. Thanking the media for "covering his every move," Alonso said, "I didn't won, but I will drink a little bit of milk. You follow me for two weeks every single minute, but I really enjoy. Thanks for the welcoming" (AP, 5/28).
SATO VICTORIOUS: KYODO reported Takuma Sato "scored a landmark win for Japanese motor racing" on Sunday, becoming the first driver from his country to win the Indianapolis 500. The 40-year-old Sato, who made the jump from F1 to IndyCar in '10, edged three-time champion Helio Castroneves for the victory after starting fourth from the grid. Rookie Ed Jones was third. Sato became the only Japanese driver to have reached the podium in both IndyCar and F1. He said, "This victory is beyond big. I can't even imagine how this will go down in Japan" (KYODO, 5/29).
U.K. RATINGS: The F1 BROADCASTING BLOG's David Nelson reported the Indy 500 "peaked with over 200,000 viewers" in the U.K., according to overnight viewing figures. The race was aired "exclusively live" by "BT Sport/ESPN." The complete broadcast, "including build-up and post-race reaction," averaged 129,000 viewers (F1 BROADCASTING BLOG, 5/29).
PIRELLI: REUTERS' Alan Baldwin reported tire company Pirelli CEO Marco Tronchetti Provera said that the company is committed to F1 but there are "no plans to take a stake in the sport following Liberty Media's takeover." Tronchetti Provera said that a decision on Pirelli's involvement beyond its current deal would "have to be made in a year and a half's time." He added, "We are committed, we see Formula 1 remaining the most attractive racing in the world" (REUTERS, 5/28).
