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A32 sports
Diamars 6 september 2022

FIA license system needs overhaul for Atalanta beats Berlusconi's

U.S. racing Monza 2-0, moves atop Serie A

ROME (AP) — Unbeat- went down as an own goal
en Atalanta moved two from Monza defender Mar-
points clear atop the Serie lon.
A after beating Silvio Ber-
lusconi's last-placed Mon- After five rounds, Atalanta
za 2-0 on Monday. moved two points ahead of
Napoli and defending cham-
What's more, Atalanta did it pion AC Milan, with Udi-
without its starting forwards nese, Roma and Torino all
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Colton Herta wants at least one more week to him- Duvan Zapata and Luis Mu- three points back.
self before he will begin to contemplate his 2023 plans. riel.
Monza, making its top-divi-
He's got an IndyCar contract with Andretti Autosport and an F1 testing contract with The 19-year-old striker Ras- sion debut, has lost all five
McLaren. But he's also the subject of intense speculation that AlphaTauri wants him on mus Højlund put Atalanta of its matches, leaving coach
the F1 grid next season, contingent on Herta receiving an exemption to receive the license ahead near the hour mark af- Giovanni Stroppa at risk of
needed to compete in the global series. ter being set up by Ademola losing his job.
Lookman.
The FIA puts very little value on United States motorsports series in its licensing system. Torino beat Lecce 1-0 with a
A driver must accumulate 40 points based on their best three performances over the previ- Eight minutes later, Look- goal from Nikola Vlasic.
ous four seasons to obtain a Super License, and while winning an IndyCar championship man appeared to have the tap
is worth the full 40 points, the drop off from there is very steep. in but on closer review there Also, Salernitana and Empoli
was a deflection and the score drew 2-2.
Because the FIA does not govern IndyCar or NASCAR, it doesn't give an equitable rat-
ing to the top racing series in America. For example, winning the IndyCar championship
earns the same amount of points toward as Super License as winning the title in F2, the Brazilian star Marcelo welcomed
series right below F1. The drop off is significant, too, with a third-place finish worth 40
points in F2 but only 20 points in IndyCar. by 20,000 Olympiakos fans
IndyCar and NASCAR drivers both tout their series as the most competitive and diverse
in the world, and yet the FIA barely rates them equal to some of F1's most junior catego-
ries. He entered the field wearing
the same No. 12 he wore at
There are currently four former F1 drivers in the IndyCar field in Romain Grosjean, Real Madrid for the past 16
Marcus Ericsson, Takuma Sato and Alexander Rossi, who in 2015 was the last American seasons.
to race on the F1 grid. Ericsson, Sato and Rossi combine for four Indianapolis 500 wins.
"Thank you. I am very happy
The IndyCar field also boasts rookies Callum Ilott and Christian Lundgaard, who both and satisfied. My family too.
came through the European system and Ilott is part of the Ferrari Driver Academy, and I hope to help the team with
Felix Rosenqvist, who raced in Formula E before IndyCar. great devotion," Marcelo told
the fans, adding in Greek,
The Super License system was designed in part to ensure drivers worked their way through "Let's go, Olympiakos!"
the ranks and were qualified to compete in F1 by the time they got to that series rather ATHENS, Greece (AP) —
than rich, unqualified drivers simply buying a seat. A raucous crowd of about The attacking left back was
20,000 fans welcomed signed on Saturday. Terms
But what it has done is kept drivers from the United States racing system out of F1. Brazilian star Marcelo to of the contract were not an-
Herta tried to make a go of it in his early teens when he moved alone to England to move Olympiakos on Monday. nounced; Greek sports sites
through Carlin's development system. When he hit his ceiling, he returned to the America reported the contract was for
ahead of the 2017 Indy Lights season. He finished third and second in the Lights standings The fans chanted and lit one year, with an option for
in two seasons before moving to IndyCar in 2019, when he became the series' youngest flares as the new signing an additional year.
race winner. made his way onto the field
at Georgios Karaiskakis Sta- The 34-year-old Marcelo
The championship that will be decided Sunday is the closest since 2003 and four driv- dium in the port of Piraeus. made 58 appearances for
ers head to Laguna Seca with a mathematical chance to win the title. Will Power holds a Brazil from 2006-18, includ-
20-point lead over Scott Dixon and Josef Newgarden in the IndyCar standings; Max Ver- Marcelo, accompanied by his ing the 2014 and 2018 World
stappen, meanwhile, has nine wins through 14 races and a 93-point lead in the standings. wife and two sons, arrived at Cups.
Athens International Airport
Herta doesn't need an exemption and has proven — like much of the IndyCar field — to in the afternoon by private jet Olympiakos, winner of the
be capable of competing in F1. What should happen is an overhauling of the Super Li- and was escorted to the sta- last three Greek Super-
cense system in which the FIA shows respect beyond the series it controls. dium by club sports director leagues, is seeking a record
Christian Karembeu. 48th trophy this season.