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Le Mans: Today at Le Mans there has been zero track action, but some interesting words from the teams as the paddock has gone press conference-crazy.
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FR3.5 - Moscow: Friday pacesetter Antonio Felix da Costa tells AUTOSPORT that he could have gone even quicker if he had got the most out of the marginal (by FR3.5 standards) tyres:
"We weren't really expecting the tyres to go off like that," he said. "I think it's something we missed - my first lap was not too good. But our car is strong. The key will be just to nail a lap."
"We weren't really expecting the tyres to go off like that," he said. "I think it's something we missed - my first lap was not too good. But our car is strong. The key will be just to nail a lap."
WRC - Italy: Robert Kubica marches on. His WRC2 lead is now up to 1m09s.
This was the stage on which he mangled his Citroen's rear end this morning, and he admitted he had some more close calls.
"We were a bit lucky," he giggles. "I still have a lot of things to learn in rallying!"
This was the stage on which he mangled his Citroen's rear end this morning, and he admitted he had some more close calls.
"We were a bit lucky," he giggles. "I still have a lot of things to learn in rallying!"
Checkered flag
WRC - Italy - SS5 results:
Stage: 1 Neuville; 2 Ogier +0.2s; 3 Latvala +1.4s; 4 Ostberg +5.7s; 5 Sordo +7.4s; 6 Mikkelsen +8.4s.
Overall: 1 Ogier; 2 Hirvonen +31.3s; 3 Ostberg +33.4s; 4 Neuville +38.7s; 5 Sordo +43.7s; 6 Mikkelsen +1m06.8s.
Stage: 1 Neuville; 2 Ogier +0.2s; 3 Latvala +1.4s; 4 Ostberg +5.7s; 5 Sordo +7.4s; 6 Mikkelsen +8.4s.
Overall: 1 Ogier; 2 Hirvonen +31.3s; 3 Ostberg +33.4s; 4 Neuville +38.7s; 5 Sordo +43.7s; 6 Mikkelsen +1m06.8s.
WRC - Italy: Neuville emerges with another stage win, while Ogier's lead blossoms to half a minute as Hirvonen comes through with a slow time that leaves him only 2.1s ahead of Ostberg, and with Neuville closing in too.
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WRC - Italy: Neuville plays down his rapid times.
"It was just a good run," he says. "I feel very comfortable in the car, especially when the grip is high - then I know I can go fast without doing mistakes.
"We haven't taken risks. It's a very clear run. I feel like I'm driving on a circuit."
"It was just a good run," he says. "I feel very comfortable in the car, especially when the grip is high - then I know I can go fast without doing mistakes.
"We haven't taken risks. It's a very clear run. I feel like I'm driving on a circuit."
Stopwatch
WRC - Italy: Storming pace from Thierry Neuville. He's fastest on SS5 so far, taking seven seconds out of nearest rival Dani Sordo and flying past the Citroen into fourth overall as a result.
Breaking news
Felix Rosenqvist
Some Formula 3 news: Although Raffaele Marciello is skipping the Masters, his European series title rival Felix Rosenqvist is definitely going.
WRC - Italy: Elfyn Evans is starting to make progress. He takes 3.4s out of Michal Kosciuszko on SS5 and gets the gap in their battle for ninth down to 5.7s.
He also reveals that co-driver Giovanni Bernacchini's Welsh is progressing...
He also reveals that co-driver Giovanni Bernacchini's Welsh is progressing...
WRC - Italy: PG Andersson is limping through this afternoon. His AT Ford has a broken driveshaft.
He's losing a lot of time but reckons the Fiesta will make it to service.
He's losing a lot of time but reckons the Fiesta will make it to service.
WRC - Italy: SS5 of today's eight is now running, Khalid Al-Qassimi has already completed.
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WRC - Italy: Robert Kubica adds another 18s to his WRC2 lead over Sepp Wiegand.
As he gets to the end of the stage he's a little puzzled to see Wiegand's time has been written on the board as a blistering 10m05s, not the 11m05s it really is.
"Whatever car you give me, I don't think I could do a 10m05s," Kubica laughs.
"Well maybe not now. Maybe in the future..."
WRC pacesetter Neuville did a 10m18s, incidentally.
As he gets to the end of the stage he's a little puzzled to see Wiegand's time has been written on the board as a blistering 10m05s, not the 11m05s it really is.
"Whatever car you give me, I don't think I could do a 10m05s," Kubica laughs.
"Well maybe not now. Maybe in the future..."
WRC pacesetter Neuville did a 10m18s, incidentally.
Checkered flag
WRC - Italy - SS4 results:
Stage: 1 Neuville; 2 Ogier +1.4s; 3 Hirvonen +1.5s; 4 Latvala +2.2s; 5 Mikkelsen +4.3s; 6 Ostberg +4.4s.
Overall: 1 Ogier; 2 Hirvonen +20.6s; 3 Ostberg +27.9s; 4 Sordo +36.5s; 5 Neuville +38.9s; 6 Mikkelsen +58.6s.
Stage: 1 Neuville; 2 Ogier +1.4s; 3 Hirvonen +1.5s; 4 Latvala +2.2s; 5 Mikkelsen +4.3s; 6 Ostberg +4.4s.
Overall: 1 Ogier; 2 Hirvonen +20.6s; 3 Ostberg +27.9s; 4 Sordo +36.5s; 5 Neuville +38.9s; 6 Mikkelsen +58.6s.
WRC - Italy: Ogier is only one tenth of a second quicker than Hirvonen on SS4, but says he's taking it easy and driving in the middle of the road.
And it's only Friday afternoon...
Fastest man on the stage was actually Thierry Neuville.
The M-Sport man took six seconds out of Dani Sordo as he chases the fourth-placed Citroen having lost a little time with a spin this morning. They're now 2.4s apart.
And it's only Friday afternoon...
Fastest man on the stage was actually Thierry Neuville.
The M-Sport man took six seconds out of Dani Sordo as he chases the fourth-placed Citroen having lost a little time with a spin this morning. They're now 2.4s apart.
Robert Kubica
WRC - Italy: Here's a look at the damage Robert Kubica did to his Citroen with that high-speed spin and rear impact on SS3.
It didn't slow him much, he still leads WRC2 by 50 seconds.
FR3.5 - Moscow: The margins between the leading runners in Friday afternoon's second practice session have been supremely tight.
Pacesetter da Costa was 0.048s faster than FR2.0 graduate Nato, who in turn was 0.071s faster than third-placed Kevin Magnussen. The top-23 runners were within a second of each other.
Pacesetter da Costa was 0.048s faster than FR2.0 graduate Nato, who in turn was 0.071s faster than third-placed Kevin Magnussen. The top-23 runners were within a second of each other.
Checkered flag
FR3.5 - Moscow: Antonio Felix da Costa said he was looking to up his championship challenge entering round six at Moscow, and the Portuguese has delivered a strong start to the weekend by setting the fastest time in the second collective test.
Norman Nato repeated his morning position of second, but the Frenchman took inter-team honours at DAMS by finishing ahead of Kevin Magnussen.
Marlon Stockinger was an impressive fourth, edging out Will Stevens and Nigel Melker.
Norman Nato repeated his morning position of second, but the Frenchman took inter-team honours at DAMS by finishing ahead of Kevin Magnussen.
Marlon Stockinger was an impressive fourth, edging out Will Stevens and Nigel Melker.
Breaking news
The news everyone in Formula 1 has been waiting for is out:
Mercedes gets reprimand and young driver test ban
Mercedes gets reprimand and young driver test ban
Phone
WRC - Italy: If anybody was in any doubt about just how hot it is in Sardinia, AUTOSPORT's iPhone has wilted.
FR3.5 - Moscow: The DAMS cars of Norman Nato and Kevin Magnussen have moved into second and third behind da Costa.
Marlon Stockinger has jumped into fourth spot for the Lotus branded Gravity-Charouz team.
A lap of the Moscow Raceway is relatively short compared to other circuits on the World Series by Renault calendar, but the session is proving extremely competitive. The first 22 cars are covered by a second.
Marlon Stockinger has jumped into fourth spot for the Lotus branded Gravity-Charouz team.
A lap of the Moscow Raceway is relatively short compared to other circuits on the World Series by Renault calendar, but the session is proving extremely competitive. The first 22 cars are covered by a second.
FR3.5 - Moscow: After a long period holding fastest time, Oliver Webb has been demoted to second by Antonio Felix da Costa.
The Red Bull Junior driver's lap of 1m21.097s finally surpasses Kevin Magnussen's quickest morning time of 1m21.314s.
The Red Bull Junior driver's lap of 1m21.097s finally surpasses Kevin Magnussen's quickest morning time of 1m21.314s.
WRC - Italy: Rally cars back up the coast towards Castelsardo for the next stage, AUTOSPORT back down 100 hairpins to the main road to Olbia...
Andreas Mikkelsen
WRC - Italy Probably the busiest driver at the remote service was Andreas Mikkelsen who was busy working on spare steering parts when he arrived in Sassari.
The Norwegian had suffered a bearing failure in the steering on his Polo R WRC. Team principal Jost Capito said the car was in perfect condition when it left service and headed back to the stages.
FR3.5 - Moscow: There's a slight lull in activity as the session reaches the mid-way mark; only seven cars are on track.
Marco Sorensen moved to top of the timing screens shortly after the session resumed from the interruption caused by Jazeman Jafaar. The Dane's time of 1m21.405s has edged out Arthur Pic by 0.040s.
Antonio Felix da Costa is third, from Will Stevens and Sergey Sirotkin. Sorensen's Lotus (Gravity-Charouz) team-mate Marlon Stockinger completes the top six.
Jafaar has not returned to the track since the session restarted.
Marco Sorensen moved to top of the timing screens shortly after the session resumed from the interruption caused by Jazeman Jafaar. The Dane's time of 1m21.405s has edged out Arthur Pic by 0.040s.
Antonio Felix da Costa is third, from Will Stevens and Sergey Sirotkin. Sorensen's Lotus (Gravity-Charouz) team-mate Marlon Stockinger completes the top six.
Jafaar has not returned to the track since the session restarted.
WRC - Italy Runaway WRC 2 leader Robert Kubica said he was cross with himself for a third-stage spin which cost time. The Pole had, for the first time, put new tyres on the front of the car while leaving worn rubber on the rear.
"Maybe I should have tried this for the first time in a test," he told AUTOSPORT, "it was a bit stupid."
The rear of his Citroen DS3 RRC was showing slight damage, but Kubica said it was driving straight.
"Maybe I should have tried this for the first time in a test," he told AUTOSPORT, "it was a bit stupid."
The rear of his Citroen DS3 RRC was showing slight damage, but Kubica said it was driving straight.
WRC - Italy Jari-Matti Latvala says he was unlucky to get his first stage puncture. He thought about stopping and changing, but the WRC 2 cars only have one minute gaps.
"If we had fallen behind them then we could have had a lot of dust and lost even more time," said the seventh-placed Finn.
"If we had fallen behind them then we could have had a lot of dust and lost even more time," said the seventh-placed Finn.
WRC - Italy Rally leader Sebastien Ogier felt his VW Polo R WRC might have been a bit too soft for the morning, otherwise he's happy. He admitted he didn't push as hard as he might have done on the third stage… but he was still fastest.
Elfyn Evans
WRC - Italy Cars just leaving remote service in Sassari. Elfyn Evans looks more relaxed heading out than he did coming in.
The Welshman admitted his World Rally Car debut had been even tougher than he’d expected.
"There was so much loose on the roads," he said, "I couldn't find any grip and when the car's moving around underneath you at those speeds it’s not good. I need to find some confidence."
Green flag
FR3.5 - Moscow: The incident has been dealt with swiftly and we're back up-and-running. Behind pacesetter Pic, Antonio Felix da Costa holds second position, 0.052s ahead of Briton Will Stevens.
Monaco winner Nico Muller is fourth, ahead of the in-form Nigel Melker and SMP by Comtec racer Lucas Foresti.
Monaco winner Nico Muller is fourth, ahead of the in-form Nigel Melker and SMP by Comtec racer Lucas Foresti.
FR3.5 Moscow: Last year's Moscow race two winner Arthur Pic has set the fastest time of 1m21.445s.
The Frenchman is a little over a tenth slower than Kevin Magnussen's benchmark time of the day from the morning session.
The Frenchman is a little over a tenth slower than Kevin Magnussen's benchmark time of the day from the morning session.
Red flag
FR3.5 Moscow: The session has been interrupted after just 12 minutes owing to an incident involving Carlin's British Formula 3 graduate Jazeman Jaafar.
AUTOSPORT is running its usual comprehensive Le Mans 24 Hours service, with Live coverage of all sessions (click here to relive Thursday's action), a spectacular package of features evoking classic races as well as bringing all you need to know about this year's field, exclusive insight from Caterham's Mike Gascoyne, and an ever-growing gallery.
Green flag
FR3.5 - Moscow: The second, hour long, FR3.5 practice session has kicked off. Can anyone topple the dominant performance of the DAMS cars of Kevin Magnussen and Norman Nato from FP1?
No track action at Le Mans today, but various pieces of news coming out.
The big announcement was Nissan's electric 2014 project, but also a bit unusual was the Kodewa-run Lotus outfit revealing plans to build 'the first Lotus motorcycle'.
It will be designed by film automobile designer Daniel Simon (remember his involvement with HRT in Formula 1?) and built by Kodewa and the Holzer Group.
Here's what Simon says about the project:
"With the Lotus C-01, we have only one ambition: to create a unique state-of-the-art machine that carries its brutal forces with elegance and style, a high-tech monster in a tailored suit.
"The C-01, with all its top notch components and materials, is first and foremost emotional, heartbreaking, at times playfully retro, and always clearly a Lotus."
WRC - Italy: Earlier we mentioned Bryan Bouffier's frantic efforts to repair his WRC3-leading Citroen after the SS1 finish.
He was unsuccessful and had to retire. The Frenchman had been quickest in his class but hit a rock and damaged his car along the way.
He was unsuccessful and had to retire. The Frenchman had been quickest in his class but hit a rock and damaged his car along the way.
WRC - Italy: The reason for Kubica's delay becomes apparent as he arrives at the stage end with some rear-end damage.
AUTOSPORT will get more details from him at remote service shortly.
AUTOSPORT will get more details from him at remote service shortly.
WRC - Italy: Robert Kubica loses a little of his WRC2 lead on SS3 as Sepp Wiegand goes 5s quicker. But the Pole is still 50s ahead.
Checkered flag
WRC - Italy - SS3 results:
Stage: 1 Ogier; 2 Latvala +0.3s; 3 Ostberg +5.3s; 4 Hirvonen +6.2s; 5 Sordo +8.8s; 6 Neuville +12.5s.
Overall: 1 Ogier; 2 Hirvonen +20.5s; 3 Ostberg +24.9s; 4 Sordo +32.2s; 5 Neuville +40.3s; 6 Mikkelsen +55.7s.
Stage: 1 Ogier; 2 Latvala +0.3s; 3 Ostberg +5.3s; 4 Hirvonen +6.2s; 5 Sordo +8.8s; 6 Neuville +12.5s.
Overall: 1 Ogier; 2 Hirvonen +20.5s; 3 Ostberg +24.9s; 4 Sordo +32.2s; 5 Neuville +40.3s; 6 Mikkelsen +55.7s.
WRC - Italy: Ogier is cruising this. He beats Hirvonen by another 5s on SS3, where he says he was playing it safe, and now leads by 20s overall.
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WRC - Italy: Mikko Hirvonen's thoughts after SS3:
"Ogier is so fast. I feel I have to push so hard and then make little mistakes here and there. It's difficult to find the right pace."
"Ogier is so fast. I feel I have to push so hard and then make little mistakes here and there. It's difficult to find the right pace."
By: Matt Beer, David Evans, Peter Mills, Jamie O'Leary, Glenn Freeman, Andrew van Leeuwen, Kevin Turner, Mark Glendenning
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