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F1 to the Gold Coast?
A report in the Gold Coast Bulletin insinuated a project was underway to attract Formula 1 to the Gold Coast.
The story hinged on comments made by incoming Gold Coast deputy mayor Mark Hammel, who called for an investigation into the future of the Norwell Valley region.
Reference was made to a project to construct a race track in the area, which had support from five-time motorcycling world champion Mick Doohan. Only that project collapsed in 2008.
As far as F1 in Australia goes, it is contracted to remain in Melbourne until at least 2037.
Furthermore, the Australian Grand Prix Corporation has a non-compete clause with Formula 1 Management, which prevents another event from taking place in Australia anyway.
Gasly drives Senna’s Toleman
Following the Chinese Grand Prix, Pierre Gasly returned to Alpine’s Enstone base.
There, he drove a Toleman TG183B, the car in which Ayrton Senna made his F1 debut in 1984.
Alpine grew out of what was once Toleman, becoming Benetton in 1986 and Renault beyond that.
It underwent several name changes and owners before returning to Renault control in late 2015.
Celebrating our history.
Today, along with @PierreGasly, the whole team welcomed Ayrton Senna’s Toleman TG183 back home to Enstone.
A fantastic moment to look back at our past and inspire our future 💙 pic.twitter.com/3X1BrGqCrt
— BWT Alpine F1 Team (@AlpineF1Team) April 25, 2024
Audi announcement
Nico Hulkenberg’s confirmation at Sauber for next season held a curious detail.
It was simultaneously announced by both Audi and Sauber with Andreas Seidl quoted, not ‘team representative’ Alessandro Alunni Bravi.
Audi is poised to take complete control of the Swiss squad in January 2025 once an antitrust review into its acquisition has been completed.
Until then, the team is in an awkward position as it straddles ownership regimes, though Finn Rausing remains the largest shareholder.
Bravi sits on the Rausing side of the current split-ownership structure, with Seidl on the Audi side.
That Seidl was the one quoted in the announcement and not Bravi is an interesting indication of which way the wind is blowing in Hinwil.
Norris injured
McLaren driver Lando Norris was injured during Koningsdag celebrations in Amsterdam.
Images of the Brit emerged on social media with bandages on his face, covering a bloodied cut on his nose.
Despite the large bandage seen in the images, subsequent shots revealed it was little more than a scratch and certainly nothing that will keep him from the Miami Grand Prix this weekend.
Trump fundraiser blocked
The promoters of the Miami Grand Prix have warned Donald Trump supporter Steven Witkoff against using the event as a fundraiser for the former president.
According to the Washington Post, a letter was issued to Witkoff stating that “it has come to our attention that you may be using your Paddock Club Rooftop Suite for a political purpose, namely raising money for a federal election at $250,000 per ticket,” activity which is against the license to use the suite.
