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  • Abu Dhabi Tyre Selection

    The tyres have been selected for the last Grand Prix of the 2023 season! The chosen compounds are- C3 (Hard), C4 (Medium) and C5 (Soft).

    Nearly all of the drivers started last year’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on the medium tyres. The top three finishers – in order, Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez – all stopped just once to put on the hard tyre, between laps 16 and 21.

    The Yas Marina lap consists of 16 corners as well as some faster sections, including a 1.2 kilometre straight between turns 5 and 6. The track modifications that took place in 2021 shortened the lap to 5.28 kilometres.

    Lewis Hamilton is the most successful driver on five wins in Abu Dhabi, followed by Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel (on three wins each). Mercedes and Red Bull are the most successful teams, with six wins each.

    We go from the lights of Las Vegas to the Abu Dhabi sunset in the space of just a few days, after a journey of just over 13,000 kilometres, for a race that is now well-established as the season-closer. Yas Marina will host the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix for the 15th time this weekend, and 11 of those have marked the final race of the season.

    The track was modified in 2021 to make it faster and more flowing, which also created extra overtaking opportunities, as we saw over the last two races there. Yas Marina is on the lower end of the scale when it comes to tyre demands, despite the vertical loads on the front axle in particular. As a result, we’ve selecting the softest three compounds, with C3 as the hard, C4 as the medium, and C5 as the soft. This is the same choice as last year, and also an identical selection to that seen at Las Vegas last weekend: confirmation of the versatility of the current compounds.

    As has become customary now, there will be a test day on the Tuesday after the grand prix with each team fielding two cars: one for young drivers and the other in theory for testing tyres. However, there will be no new compounds to try out: the FIA recently communicated that the 2024 compounds will be the same as this year, with the only change being that there are now five rather than six available of them, due to the elimination of the C0 (which was never used during a race weekend this year). So the test could be helpful for the teams to work on tyre management by gathering data for next season. The teams will have a predetermined tyre allocation for the test. The car doing the tyre work will have 10 sets available at the test, consisting of one C1, one C2, two C5, and three sets each of C4 and C3. Meanwhile, the car for young drivers will have two sets each of C3 and C5 available as well as four sets of C4.

    Mario Isola – Pirelli Head of Motorsport.

  • Williams recruit Lia Block for F1 Academy

    Williams, have announced that American racer Lia Block will be representing them on the 2024 F1 Academy grid, as she joins their Driver Academy programme.

    Block has already made a name for herself competing in rally, Extreme E and rallycross, becoming the youngest American Rally Association champion in history when she won the Open Two-Wheel Drive class this year.

    2024 will see the 17 year old undertake her first full season in open-wheel racing, driving for ART Grand Prix in F1 Academy alongside McLaren junior, Bianca Bustamante.

    All 10 current Formula 1 teams will have one driver and have their livery on a car competing in the all-female F1 Academy from 2024.

    I am so excited to be joining the Williams Driver Academy and competing in F1 Academy in 2024! This is something I never could have dreamed of. I can’t wait to embrace this new experience and learn as much as possible.

    Block on the news.

    We are excited to welcome Lia to Williams Racing as our F1 Academy driver for 2024. Lia has already achieved a tremendous amount in motorsport, has incredible natural talent, and the champion mindset and dedication to make a success of her journey into open-wheel racing. We cannot wait to get started on this journey together. As a team, we are committed to Formula 1 and F1 Academy’s joint efforts to improve female representation in motorsport, and we look forward to working with Lia as a key part of the Williams Racing Driver Academy.

    Vowles on the news.

    Extreme sports are part of Lia’s DNA and her debut in high-profile international competitions attest to her talent and her adaptability to a wide range of demanding environments. At 17 years old, Lia is driven with a great determination and an appetite for major challenges, that should allow her to quickly find her place on our team and in the F1 Academy.

    ART Grand Prix Team Principal, Sebastien Philippe.

  • PHM Racing recruit Joshua Duerksen for 2024

    Paraguayan driver Joshua Duerksen will make the step up to FIA Formula 2 with PHM Racing next season.

    The 20 year old joins off the back of his second campaign in the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine, earning one podium this season in Spa-Francorchamps.

    Duerksen made his single-seater debut in 2019, finishing second in the Formula 4 UAE Championship. That same year he completed a dual campaign in both Italian and German F4, where he finished eighth and eleventh in the Standings respectively.
    In 2020, he made a return to the German Championship, achieving two wins and a further four podiums to improve to sixth overall.

    Another Italian F4 campaign would follow the next year as he secured sixth in the Standings, with two wins and a podium, before graduating to FRECA in 2022 where he finished his rookie season in 14th.

    In the meantime, Duerksen has been keeping his driving skills sharp, participating in the Formula 3 post-season test in Imola last month and getting 85 laps on the board for the German team.

    I am very excited to announce that I will be stepping up to FIA F2 with PHM Racing! It’s a big step in my career, and I can’t wait to start this new and great challenge! It’s a huge honour and privilege to be the first Paraguayan driver in history to represent my country in FIA F2. I am more than grateful to God, my family, my sponsors, my fans, and of course, PHM Racing for believing in me. Now, I am focused on preparing in the best possible way with PHM for the season. The new car and new circuits will make this year a challenging and exciting one. Let’s go all in!

    Duerksen on the news.

    Herzlich Willkommen Joshua! We are very happy to announce with Joshua Duerksen our first driver for next year’s FIA Formula 2 season. Joshua is coming straight from FRECA into F2. We all know that this is a massive step to manage for him and also for the Team. Joshua convinced us with his ‘hands on’ attitude, working ethic and 100% dedication to his profession, which is essential to develop himself with the Team at the highest stage of Formula Racing below F1. Joshua has more potential as he was able to show in 2023, but through Formula 4 and Formula Regional Europe and Middle East he delivered already great performances and results. I guess a whole country will support him as being the first Paraguayan Driver, who is competing at this level. He in particular and all his supporters and partners deserve this chance and we will prepare him as best as possible to be competitive from the beginning on. Vamos Flaco…and see you in Yas Marina for the Post-Season Testing.

    Roland Rehfeld, PHM Racing Sporting Director.

  • RND 22 – Las Vegas Grand Prix

    Round 22 is officially over and what a thrilling Las Vegas Grand Prix we had! From VSC to full Safety Car’s and penalties, it was all going on…

    But, Max Verstappen took the win in Sin City, with Charles Leclerc finishing second for Ferrari and Sergio Perez rounded out the top three.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Verstappen, P2: Leclerc, P3: Perez, P4: Ocon, P5: Stroll, P6: Sainz, P7: Hamilton, P8: Russell, P9: Alonso and P10: Piastri.

    A brilliant result from Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, seeing the Mexican come through the field and be fighting for podiums was nice to see and the battle with Charles towards the end of the race.

    Leclerc had a great race, I definitely think he could’ve won it if the second Safety Car didn’t come out. He will be hoping that he can hopefully get an even better result next week!
    His teammate had an okay race, obviously he had a bit of a tangle on lap 1 with Lewis Hamilton with a bit of under-steer, but he still managed to grab P6 after his penalty this weekend.

    Alpine have had a good weekend but it seems like their driver’s swapped places? Gasly started the race fourth but finished 11th just outside the points. And Ocon started 16th but finished fourth? In the end it’s a good haul of points for the team.

    Stroll has another good result! Two P5 finishes in two weeks, just what him and the team needs for their fight in the Constructors battle. As they look to fight for P4 against McLaren.

    Talking of McLaren a mixed day for them, Lando Norris crashed on lap 3 just after the VSC ended due to loosing control of his car through turn 11, he slammed into the barriers and was very close to taking his teammate out. Thankfully he is all okay and went to the hospital for extra precaution but the team has since confirmed his okay.

    With Perez finishing third and Lewis 7th this means Perez has claimed P2 in the standings and Hamilton third, as Sainz cannot score more than 32 points next weekend.
    However, there is a four way battle for P4, Sainz currently sits fourth on 200 points, Alonso in 5th on 200 points aswell, Norris on 195 points and Leclerc 188 points.

    Looking at the Constructors, Mercedes are still ahead of Ferrari and are on 392 whereas Ferrari is on 288 just 4 points between the teams.
    McLaren are still fourth on 284 points, and Aston Martin is on 273 points, just 11 points between the teams.

    But we don’t have too long to wait, as the season finale is next week and we close the season out in Abu Dhabi!

  • RND 22 – Las Vegas Qualifying

    Qualifying is done for the day, so let’s take a look at how it went in Sin City!

    Charles Leclerc stormed to pole position for the Las Vegas Grand Prix around the all new Strip Circuit, Carlos Sainz finished second and Max Verstappen third.
    However, Carlos Sainz has a 10 place grid penalty for the chaos from FP1, which forced Ferrari to change parts on his car so he will start 12th…

    The full top 10 after penalties are: P1: Leclerc, P2: Verstappen, P3: Russell, P4: Gasly, P5: Albon, P6: Sargeant, P7: Bottas, P8: Magnussen, P9: Alonso and P10: Hamilton.

    Well, Charles and Ferrari had a feeling they were going to be okay here, so for them to get pole position I think they will be happy with that! Hopefully they can turn it into a win for Charles!

    George had a good result for Mercedes, however Lewis had a bit of a rough time he originally qualified 11th, due to not being able to go any faster and improve on his lap time, so he will have some work to do in the race!

    Gasly had a really good result! P4 and he will be hoping for points tomorrow and to keep out of trouble. Unfortunately his teammate, Esteban Ocon starts 16th which is a bit rough compared to Gasly.

    Now onto Williams! Albon P5 and Logan Sargeant in P6!! Wow, that is the teams best qualifying result in 7 years! Logan will be hoping to score points again this weekend so he can secure his seat for next season, could the points come again?

    A bit of a shocker for McLaren, P15 for Norris and P18 for Piastri, they both seemed to really struggle, i’m not sure whether it’s the track which doesn’t suit them or not being able to heat up tyres who knows? But the team will want to score points this weekend.

    But, we do have some drivers coming through the field including Hamilton 10th, Perez 11th and Sainz 12th and the McLaren’s, so we could have some drama…

  • F1 to race in Sao Paulo until 2030

    Formula 1 has announced that the Sao Paulo Grand Prix will remain on the F1 calendar until 2030 inclusive following a five-year extension.

    The Interlagos circuit, officially known as the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace after the 1975 race winner, has featured on the Formula 1 schedule for over 50 years and is one of the most iconic racetracks in the world.
    Featuring 15 corners over 4.3kms, the circuit’s design originally took inspiration from racetracks in the UK, the United States and France, but has since had part of the track, including the famous Senna ‘esses’ replicated at other venues.

    With its carnival atmosphere, Interlagos has been the scene for some of the most memorable moments in Formula 1 history including Ayrton Senna’s emotional home victory in 1991, Kimi Rakkonen clinching the World Championship in 2007 and Lewis Hamilton’s enthralling battle with Max Verstappen in 2021.

    The 2022 Grand Prix welcome 235,000 fans across a dramatic race weekend as George Russell won both the F1 Sprint and the Grand Prix, taking the top step of the podium for the first time in his F1 career. Kevin Magnussen also secured a shock first Pole Position of his career for the F1 Sprint, as Interlagos again delivered an entertaining weekend of racing action.

    The extension of the Sao Paulo Grand Prix follows recent significant investment by Sao Paulo Mayor Nunes’ administration, as the city looks to upgrade the Interlagos circuit into a venue suitable for hosting wider entertainment events, including music concerts.

    In addition, the Grand Prix continues to evolve under the leadership of the promoter MC Brazil Motorsport, backed by Mubadala, who have closely with the City of Sao Paulo to enhance the fan experience and have placed an increased focus on environmental, social and governance initiatives, including the upskilling of 100 women from vulnerable backgrounds to become qualified mechanics, all of whom graduated in a special ceremony at the circuit last week.

    I am delighted to announce we will be staying at Interlagos until 2030, and I can’t wait for many more years of the wonderful atmosphere that the Brazilian fans bring. Brazil has such a rich racing heritage, and this iconic circuit is a favourite of drivers and fans around the world. It embodies everything that is great about racing, and we look forward to seeing how it develops over the years to come to create an even better experience.

    Stefano Domenicali, President & CEO of Formula 1.

    The extension of the contract for the Formula 1 Grande Premio de Sao Paulo, broadcasted in approximately 180 countries, solidifies our city as a global leader in hosting major events with economic and social impact, generating jobs, revenue, and opportunities. Each year, we also advance our sustainability agenda, incorporating innovations to overcome challenges and bring more benefits to the city of Sao Paulo and Brazil.

    Ricardo Nunes, Mayor of Sao Paulo.

    It is a great honour to have the contract extension that ensures Sao Paulo’s place on the Formula 1 calendar. This is the recognition of the work we have been doing, with the crucial support of the Sao Paulo City Hall. Continuing to be a partner of Formula 1 is a matter of great pride. Now, we will immediately start planning for the years ahead so that we can have even better Grand Prix editions in the coming years.

    Alan Adler, CEO of Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

  • Williams announce Academy Driver to take part in FP1

    Williams are set to fulfil their final remaining rookie Free Practice 1 outing of 2023 by running their academy driver Zak O’Sullivan in Abu Dhabi – with the Briton and fellow Williams Driver Academy member Franco Colapinto to share driving duties at the subsequent post-season Young Driver Test.

    Since 2022, F1’s regulations have included a mandatory pair of FP1 outings per year for drivers who have completed less than two Grands Prix, with each team’s race driver obliged to give up their seat once.

    Williams running rookie Logan Sargeant in 2023 used up one of those requirements for the team in Bahrain’s FP1 – while O’Sullivan’s Abu Dhabi experience is set to fulfil the second, the Briton to take over Alex Albon’s Williams FW45 in the final Free Practice 1 session of the year.

    I’m really excited to participate in FP1 at Abu Dhabi. I can’t wait to get behind the wheel of the FW45 for the first time and get some good mileage under my belt. In addition to that, I’m returning to the car for the post-season rookie test to further my development with the team.

    O’Sullivan on the news.

    As O’Sullivan mentions, he will then be run by Williams at the post-season Young Driver Test at the Yas Marina Circuit, sharing driving duties with fellow F3 racer Colapinto – who claimed P4 in the standings in 2023.

    The Argentinian driver will also make his Formula 2 debut in Abu Dhabi, ahead of his and O’Sullivan’s promotion to the series in 2024 with MP Motorsport and ART Grand Prix respectively.

    Both Zak and Franco have had impressive seasons in Formula 3. We’re now looking forward to giving them the opportunity to drive the FW45 in Abu Dhabi to aid their development as part of their roles in the Williams Racing Driver Academy. The pair have demonstrated a high level of understanding and maturity during their simulator work conducted at Grove. I know they’ll both be working hard in preparation for this experience and will make the most of it.

    Sven Smeets, Williams Racing’s Sporting Director.

  • Las Vegas Tyre Selection

    The tyres have been chosen for the Las Vegas Grand Prix this weekend!

    The tyres chosen are: C3 (Hard), C4 (Medium), and C5 (Soft), this is the softest selection of tyres in the range.

    For the first time in F1 history the sessions will overlap more than one day, with a different schedule for the night race weekend.

    The new Las Vegas street circuit consists of 17 corners and three straights, with two DRS zones. The lap is 6.12 kilometres long, with an estimated top speed of 342kph.
    The finish line is on the corner of Harmon Avenue and Koval Lane, with the layout stretching from Las Vegas Boulevard to Sands Avenue and a race distance of 50 laps.

    More than 30 different variants of the street track were designed before the final layout was selected. The main infrastructure, including the pit building in the shape of the F1 logo.

    Formula 1 previously raced at Las Vegas as the last round of the 1981 and 1982 seasons, with both events called the Caesars Palace Grand Prix.
    On each occasion the race decided the championship: Alan Jones won the Grand Prix for Williams in 1981 but the title went to Brabham driver Nelson Piquet.

    The podium finishers will wear a special edition Pirelli podium cap with gold braiding. The Stars and Stripes flag as well as “Las Vegas 2023” scrip will also appear on the cap.

    Formula 1 returns to the United States for the third time this year, following Miami and Austin. And it’s with one of the most-eagerly grands prix of the year, in Las Vegas, where the pinnacle of motorsport hasn’t been seen since 1982. This will be an incredible race, as every day is showtime in Las Vegas, and all of us working in Formula 1 want to put on the sort of spectacle that is worthy of this amazing city. 

    It will also be a major technical challenge for both the teams and us, as we head into this race with no real references apart from simulation. Nobody has ever actually driven the 6.12-kilometre Las Vegas Strip circuit before, which is second only to Spa in terms of overall length this year, characterised by three straights and 17 corners. The surface will be a mix of the usual street asphalt, especially on the actual Strip, as well as other parts that have been completely re-asphalted for the occasion; adding another unknown element. There won’t be any support races and the track will be opened again to normal traffic for long chunks of the day, which means that the surface won’t rubber in as usual and deliver improved grip. 

    We’re expecting the cars to run quite low levels of downforce, similar to Baku or indeed Monza: hitting a high top speed will be key to being competitive. All the sessions will take place at night, with unusual ambient and track temperatures for a race weekend; more similar to those found back when pre-season testing used to take place in Europe. Those long straights also make it harder to warm up tyres in qualifying, as well as keep them in the right window: the same challenge as seen in Baku, which will probably be more pronounced in Las Vegas. 

    Bearing all this in mind, we’ve selected the trio of softest compounds for this weekend: C3, C4, and C5, which should guarantee good grip. Minimum tyre pressures should be 27 psi at the front and 24.5 psi at the back, due to the expected low temperatures as well as the track layout. In cold conditions, the gap between cold tyre pressures and normal running pressures is greatly reduced – so when the car is moving, tyre pressure will increase a lot less than on other circuits due to the low asphalt temperatures. As a result, we think that running pressures will still be lower than on other circuits that are tough on tyres, such as Baku for example. 

    So all the elements are in place for an extraordinary race, packed with surprises and unpredictability. As the title of Elvis Presley’s famous racing film goes…Viva Las Vegas! 

    Mario Isola – Pirelli Head of Motorsport.

  • Ferrari unveil special livery for Las Vegas

    Ferrari have unveiled a special livery for the Las Vegas Grand Prix with the traditional red of the SF-23 cars featuring a hint of white.
    Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz’s race suits and helmets have also been given the same treatment to celebrate Ferrari’s look from the 70s.

    With Formula 1’s highly anticipated return to Las Vegas fast approaching, the Italian team’s design is a nod to the first golden age of the sport in the USA where Ferrari enjoyed some of the most memorable moments in its history.

    The great Niki Lauda won two world titles in that era – in 975 and 1977 with victory at Watkins Glen in 1975. Clay Regazzoni also won at Long Beach in 1976 while Carlos Reutemann triumphed at Watkins Glen in 1978.
    More success followed in 1979 when Gilles Villeneuve scored an American double with wins in Long Beach and Watkins Glen.

    Throughout that decade there was plenty of white alongside the Ferrari red on the livery, with the team deciding to reprise it for the unique spectacle that is this year’s Las Vegas Grand Prix.

  • MP Motorsport complete F2 line-up

    MP Motorsport has become the first team to finalise plans for 2024, re-signing Dennis Hauger and completing its driver line-up for next season.

    Hauger joins Franco Colapinto at the Dutch team for what will be the Norwegian’s third FIA Formula 2 campaign and second in MP colours.

    During the two seasons of F2 so far, Hauger has notched up four victories, four fastest laps and eight podium finishes, with two wins and four podiums coming in the 2023 campaign.

    Before joining F2, Hauger rose through the ranks enjoying plenty of success. Finishing his maiden single seater season fourth in British F4, he completed a dual effort in 2019 across Italian and ADAC Formula 4. He finished second in the latter and won the Italian Championship in dominant fashion, taking 12 wins and 16 podiums across the season.

    From there, he graduated to FIA Formula 3 in 2020, finishing his rookie season 17th before returning in 2021 to win the Championship ahead of his F2 promotion.

    I’m really happy to stay with MP Motorsport for another season of FIA Formula 2. I’m truly looking forward to the challenge of setting up a winning new F2 car, as we aim to build on the experience we gained as a team working together in 2023. I welcome Franco as my new teammate – he’s a familiar face to MP too, and that can only be to our advantage in the transitional winter period while getting to grips with the new car.

    Hauger on the news.

    We are delighted that Dennis has decided to continue with us in the new season. He’s quick, with a cool and smart head on his shoulders. His feedback will help us in the development race with the new car as we move into a new era of FIA Formula 2. With Dennis and Franco, we have two known quantities in our top team on the single-seater ladder. Having signed both at a very early stage will surely contribute to our getting up to speed as soon as we can.

    Sander Dorsman, Team Principal.

  • O’Sullivan steps up to Formula 2

    ART Grand Prix has confirmed that Williams Driver Academy star, Zak O’Sullivan will join the team for the 2024 Formula 2 campaign.
    The Briton has signed with the team after finishing the 2023 FIA F3 season as runner-up in the Drivers’ Championship.

    Competing with PREMA Racing in F3 this year, O’Sullivan notched up four race wins throughout the 2023 campaign, the highest number of victories during the season.

    The 18 year old, has been climbing the junior motorsport pyramid in quick fashion, switching from the Ginetta Junior Championship in 2019 to British F4 in 202, achieving runner-up finishes in both campaigns.
    In 2021, O’Sullivan secured the GB3 Championship title, with seven race wins and 14 podiums comprising his impressive record that year.

    Promotion to FIA F3 with Rodin Carlin followed in 2022, and he earned two podiums and a pole position during his rookie campaign, finishing the season 11th overall. Swapping to PREMA in ’23 he went from strength to strength, going on to finish second in the Championship.

    I’m exciting to be joining ART for my rookie F2 season. I’m really looking forward to getting started. The team have a great depth of experience so can’t wait to get going in the Abu Dhabi tests with them.

    O’Sullivan on the news.

    I’m delighted about the collaboration between Zak and ART Grand Prix. He’s a driver we’ve been following for a long time, and he has consistently elevated his level of performance. His background and mindset align with ART Grand Prix’s mission of supporting young drivers to the highest levels of motorsport. It’s with pleasure and honour that we welcome a member of the Williams Racing Driver Academy. With proper winter preparation, his racing approach and adaptability should enable him to compete at the front.

    Sebastien Philippe, ART Grand Prix Team Principal.

  • Arvid Lindblad completes PREMA’s F3 line-up

    PREMA Racing have announced that Red Bull Junior, Arvid Lindblad will round out their line-up for the 2024 FIA Formula 3 campaign, joining returnees Dino Beganovic and Gabriele Mini at the Italian outfit.

    Lindblad makes the step up off the back of a successful first full season in single-seaters. After finishing fifth in the F4 UAE Championship, the 16 year old took six wins, 10 podiums and two pole positions on his way to securing third in Italian F4 alongside claiming fourth in the Euro 4 Championship.

    The British born racer, enjoyed plenty of success in karting, achieving the WSK Super Masters OK Junior in 2020 and followed that up with the WSK Euro Series title the next year.
    From there, he made his single-seater debut in 2022 with a three-round appearance in Italian F4 where he earned a best result of seventh, before partnering up with PREMA for the dual campaign this year.

    Lindblad has already gotten his first taste of F3 machinery during the six days of post-season testing. Getting 414 laps under his belt, he netted four top 10 finishes, including the sixth-fastest time of the opening afternoon in Imola.

    Super excited to be continuing with PREMA for 2024 in FIA Formula 3. We had a great year in Formula 4 together, leading and competing for both Championships for the whole season. PREMA has been very strong in F3 this year, and that’s why I’m really excited and honoured to have the opportunity to continue and move up the ranks with them. We had positive post-season tests together with good progression and steps made, and I can’t wait for the season to get started.

    Lindblad on the news.

    We were deeply impressed by Arvid this year, and we think he has the potential to succeed a Formula 3 level as well. We will work as hard as possible to ease his transition to such a challenging environment and allow him to be successful as soon as possible. Our driver line-up for 2024 is now complete, and I could not be happier with the team we put together.

    Rene Rosin, Team Principal.

  • Colapinto graduates to F2

    MP Motorsport have announced that Franco Colapinto will make his Formula 2 debut with them in 2023 season finale at Yas Marina this month, ahead of a full campaign with the Dutch team next year.

    Colapinto steps up off the back of a second successful year in Formula 3, earning two wins and five podiums for MP. The Williams Racing Academy driver ended up fourth in the Drivers’ Championship.

    The Argentine racer is already well acquainted with MP. After storming his way to the 2019 Spanish F4 title in his debut season in single-seaters, Colapinto partnered up with the Dutch team the following year in Formula Renault Eurocup. He secured two wins and nine podiums, he finished his rookie campaign in third.

    Remaining with them for another season, he achieved sixth in the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine. From there, he graduated to F3 with Van Amersfoort Racing, taking two wins on his way to ninth in the Drivers’ Standings in 2022 before reuniting with MP for the 2023 campaign.

    I’m absolutely thrilled to be moving up to Formula 2 with MP. MP are proven race winners in the category, and staying with them feels absolutely right. It’s a familiar atmosphere for me, and it will be to our advantage that we know each other so well as I enter my debut season in the category. I’m very much look forward to the fresh challenge of a new series, with a brand-new car to help develop. I can’t wait to get in the car in Abu Dhabi and then work with the team to be ready for a long and challenging 2024 season.

    Colapinto on the news.

    It’s great news that we are able to announce Franco’s promotion to our F2 team so early. This will give us a headstart in our preparations for an exciting 2024 F2 season in which we all start from zero, with the new F2 car offering everyone a new baseline to work from. Retaining Franco helps us to maintain stability in that transition, apart from the fact that he’s become a member of the MP family and is an extremely quick and talented driver.

    Sander Dorsman, MP Team Principal.

  • Gabriele Mini switches to PREMA

    Gabriele Mini will return for a second Formula 3 season in 2024, switching to reigning Teams’ Champions PREMA Racing.

    A two-time race winner after scoring victories in the Monte Carlo Feature Race and Budapest Sprint, Mini rounded out his rookie campaign seventh in the Drivers’ Standings for Hitech Pulse-Eight.

    Participating in the three two-day post-season tests with PREMA, the Alpine junior put together an impressive showing. The 18 year old topped the timing sheets across both days in Imola and earned a further three top two worthy times in Barcelona and Jerez.

    Next season, Mini reunite with the team that helped take him to glory in Italian F4 in 2020. From there, the Italian racer finished seventh in the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine.
    Returning for a second campaign, he earned the runner-up honours, just behind eventual Champion and 2024 teammate Dino Beganovic.

    I’m very happy to join PREMA Racing for the 2024 season. The team had a very strong season last year, and we had some very promising tests together at Jerez and Barcelona. Our only goal will be to fight for the title, and I cannot wait to hit the track and start the new season! I would like to thank the Alpine Academy and All Road Management for their strong support to make it happen.

    Mini on the news.

    We are really proud to have Gabriele back with us. We thoroughly enjoyed working with him back in 2020 and we are happy to do it again now. We are extremely delighted by how our 2024 line-up is coming together as we have proven winners with high potential and great experience on our side. We cannot wait for the new season to start, and we look forward to the preparation work ahead.

    Rene Rosin, Team Principal.

  • Alpine sign Kush Maini to Academy programme

    Alpine have announced that Formula 2 rookie, Kush Maini has become the latest addition to the team’s growing young driver programme.

    Maini is about to complete his first full season in Formula 2 with Campos Racing, where the Indian driver is sitting 11th in the drivers’ standings.
    He secured his first F2 podium with a third-place finish in the Sprint Race in Australia, as well as his best qualifying result of second at Silverstone.

    He will now benefit from the guidance and support of both the Academy’s fleet of staff and the wider Alpine F1 team, as well as access to their state-of-the-art facilities at their Formula 1 base in Enstone.

    The 23 year old joins an Academy line-up that currently features F2 rivals Jack Doohan – who is currently Alpine’s reserve driver – and Victor Martins, and has a host of successful F1 graduates in Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri.

    I am super excited to be joining the Alpine Academy. It’s a dream come true to be associated with a team like BWT Alpine F1 Team, where I can learn and grow to hopefully one day be ready to take the step into Formula 1. A massive thank you to Alpine for believing in me and giving me this opportunity.

    Maini on the opportunity.

    We are happy to welcome Kush into the Alpine Academy. He is a young talent who we believe has strong potential and will be a great asset to our driver development programme. The Alpine Academy will enter its ninth year in 2024 and currently features nine drivers of eight nationalities, spanning four different series from FIA Formula 2 through to European Karting. The continual expansion of the Academy’s talent pool runs in parallel to the expansion of our facilities at Enstone with the development of our new state-of-the-art training and testing facilities, the AHPC, underway.

    Julian Rouse, Alpine F1 Team Interim Sporting Director.

  • Hauger to split from RB Junior Team

    Dennis Hauger is to part company with the Red Bull Junior Team but will continue racing in Formula 2 in 2024.

    The Norwegian’s second season in F2 has not lived up to expectations, leaving him eighth in the points before the final round in Abu Dhabi this month.
    He won the sprint races in Melbourne and at the Hungaroring but has not finished on the podium in a feature race, despite having joined the MP Motorsport team that took Felipe Drugovich to the 2022 title.

    Hauger has had more of an on-and-off relationship with Red Bull compared to most of its junior drivers, benefitting from strong personal sponsorship from Norway while his career has been guided heavily by experienced countryman Harald Huysman.

    He joined the Junior Team for his move from karts into British Formula 4 in 2018, but his switch to Italian F4 the following year was instigated by Hauger’s management group rather than Red Bull, which would have rather moved him up a level. He raced in the black and orange of his Van Amersfoort Racing team instead of the blue of the energy drink firm.
    Having won that title, he was back in full Red Bull colours for his step up to F3 in 2020, but a difficult rookie season with Hitech – he finished 17th in the standings – this led him to be only a Red Bull supported driver than a full junior in 2021, when he again became champion with Prema.

    Red Bull has had six junior drivers racing in F2 this year but there has been speculation about how many will remain with the programme next year.
    It has already announced Pepe Marti and Tim Tramnitz as new additions to its roster ahead of 2024.

  • RND 21 – Sao Paulo Grand Prix

    Wow, the Sao Paulo Grand Prix never disappoints, we had drama before the race even started and it continued on into the race!

    Max Verstappen grabbed his 17th win this season, ahead of Lando Norris in P2 and Fernando Alonso who returned to the podium in P3!

    The full top 10 are- P1: Verstappen, P2: Norris, P3: Alonso, P4: Perez, P5: Stroll, P6: Sainz, P7: Gasly, P8: Hamilton, P9: Tsunoda and P10: Ocon.

    Charles Leclerc went off on the formation lap, after he lost the hydraulics which then forced him to retire before it even began…

    When the lights went out, we had drama, there was a heavy collision between Alex Albon and Kevin Magnussen.
    Replays showed that Hulkenberg was squeezed and subsequently made contact with Albon, which ricocheted the Williams into the path of Magnussen. Piastri was also caught up in the incident, having suffered a broken rear wing. This then caused a red flag to be shown due to the extensive debris out on the track.

    A strong result from Aston Martin, from both drivers, this is what they needed for the fight in the Drivers’ and Teams’ Standings. Alonso had a great battle with Sergio Perez at the end of the race where they had a photo finish! The gap between the Spaniard and Mexican was less than a tenth of a second in the incredible finish.

    Talking about Perez, a really strong performance from him and a good haul of points aswell. This will help him in the fight with Hamilton as he only scored 4 points in the race.

    Talking of Hamilton, where did Mercedes pace go?? They certainly had pace in the first part of the race until Hamilton radioed his team about a steering issue with his front right tyre just after pitting. Russell was forced to retire his W14 from the race later on due to high and worsening oil temperature. The team won’t be happy with the result at all.

    Tsunoda points again! His loving life at the moment he currently has 13 points, he sits 14th in the Driver Standings. For the team themselves they grow a gap to Alfa Romeo in 9th with 5 points between them. But Alpha Tauri will be looking towards Williams who are only 7 points away in 7th.

    Next up for Round 22, we head to a brand new track for 2023 as it’s the Las Vegas Grand Prix!

  • RND 21 – Sao Paulo Sprint

    The last sprint race of the 2023 season is officially over, so let’s take a look at how it went.

    Max Verstappen charged ahead to another win after he took the lead from Lando Norris on Lap 1. Norris ended up second, and Sergio Perez rounded out the top three.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Verstappen, P2: Norris, P3: Perez, P4: Russell, P5: Leclerc, P6: Tsunoda, P7: Hamilton, P8: Sainz, P9: Ricciardo and P10: Piastri.

    Verstappen was on fire today, he knew what he wanted to do and got it done on lap one, which he then went on to be unchallenged even though Norris put a bit of pressure on at times.
    Perez also had a good result aswell finishing P3, this will add a few points to his tally for his fight against Hamilton.

    A great result from Norris aswell, which is needed for his fight in the Drivers’ Standings up against, Alonso and Leclerc. It also helps his team build a gap to Aston Martin’s as they failed to score in the sprint.

    More points for Tsunoda! AlphaTauri are on a roll lately, more points on the board, so they now have a 3 point gap to Alfa Romeo in 9th. They will hope to build on the points they’ve got so far as a 3 point gap won’t be enough with three races left…

    The Aston Martin’s had a shocker in sprint qualifying, which meant that they had to make up some ground in the Sprint race. Alonso worked his way from 15th to 11th and Stroll finished in 12th after starting 17th, it seems like they’ve got good pace in the race, so hopefully today we see them battling for podiums and get a big haul of points.

    Haas had a disappointing sprint, they started 11th and 12th, but they ended up finishing 16th and 18th, that’s not what the American team need, hopefully they have better luck today…

    Predictions-

    My top five predictions are- P1: Verstappen, P2: Hamilton, P3: Alonso, P4: Norris and P5: Leclerc.

    I feel like Aston Martin are finally back this weekend, so let’s hope they can turn it into a podium, but I have a feeling we will get a bit of a crazy race, maybe with a Safety Car appearance?

  • RND 21 – Sao Paulo Qualifying

    Another qualifying session done, where it ended early due to the weather rapidly changing and causing a red flag with no-one being able to improve their times.

    But Max Verstappen claimed pole position for Sunday’s race, he is joined on the front row by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and rounding out the top three is Lance Stroll!

    The full top 10 are- P1: Verstappen, P2: Leclerc, P3: Stroll, P4: Alonso, P5: Hamilton, P6: Russell, P7: Norris, P8: Sainz, P9: Perez and P10: Piastri.

    But three drivers have been hit with grid penalties after impeding incidents in the pit lane during qualifying. George Russell, Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly have all been hit with two place grid penalties.

    The new top 10 is: P1: Verstappen, P2: Leclerc, P3: Stroll, P4: Alonso, P5: Hamilton, P6: Norris, P7: Sainz, P8: Russell, P9: Perez and P10: Piastri.

    A great result from both Aston Martin’s especially Stroll out qualifying Alonso, which doesn’t happen often but it was nice surprise! The team will be wanting to work on what they did today on Sunday and score some points this weekend.

    Hamilton out-qualifies Perez, which is a big step into their fight in P2 for the Drivers’ Championship. Perez will need to provide some good overtakes on Sunday and stay out of trouble as his in the middle of the pack in P9.

    Daniel Ricciardo struggled in qualifying as he was knocked out in Q1. Quite a shock compared to last weekend where he was in the top 5. He has a bit of work to do if he wants to get more points on the board.

    The Haas duo start 11th and 12th this gives them a good opportunity to score points as they are in that all important fight at the back of the grid where it involves 3 teams including themselves.

    Predictions for Sprint-

    My top five for the Sprint race are: P1: Verstappen, P2: Alonso, P3: Hamilton, P4: Leclerc and P5: Sainz.

    We may get a crazy race today, it’s not meant to rain so that won’t be a factor but its Interlagos so anything could possibly happen…

  • Sao Paulo Grand Prix

    Round 21 is here and it’s the Sao Paulo Grand Prix weekend, it is another sprint race this weekend, and we’ve had some great ones in previous years!

    Will Mercedes shine here again after taking the past two previous wins? Or can Max Verstappen make it another win and win number 17 this season?

    Or could we get a Ferrari winning? Or maybe a first time winner for McLaren? This weekend is all to play for!

    Who needs to shine?

    Sergio Perez, after crashing out on lap 1 of his home grand prix last week, he has a lot of work to do this weekend, as the gap between himself and Hamilton has lowered to 20 points, if Hamilton keeps going the way his going then he will earn P2 in the Drivers’ Championship. But Perez will not want that so he needs to get a wriggle on.

    Aston Martin, they’ve had a bit of a downfall from the beginning of the season. Now they sit 5th in the Constructors’, McLaren have managed to build a 20 point gap between the teams.
    Not only this, Alonso is among a group of drivers who could quite easily catch up to the Spanish driver as there isn’t much between each driver in the standings.

    Looking towards the back of the teams, Haas sit in 10th on 12 points, Alfa Romeo sit in 9th on 16 points and AlphaTauri sit in 8th on 16 points. This will be an interesting fight between six drivers all trying to get a few extra points.

    Predictions for Qualifying-

    My top five prediction for qualifying are- Pole: Verstappen, P2: Hamilton, P3: Leclerc, P4: Norris and P5: Russell.

    Obviously, we have a sprint this weekend and it’s always a crazy sprint and race here in Brazil so we could very much see a Safety Car or a Virtual Safety Car…

  • Sao Paulo Tyre Selection

    We are at our third race weekend of our triple header, and it’s also our last sprint weekend of the year as we are here in Brazil for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix!

    The tyres have been chosen for this weekend are: C2 (Hard), C3 (Medium), C4 (Soft).

    Mercedes has won the most races at Interlagos since the Brazilian Grand Prix adopted the name of it’s host city, with Lewis Hamilton and George Russell winning in 2021 and 2022 respectively.

    Interlagos has hosted 39 world championship grands prix in total, with Ferrari winning 10 times and Michael Schumacher being the most successful driver on four wins.

    Kevin Magnussen gave Haas its maiden pole position last year, making the most of his soft compound tyres in the rain at the start of Q3.
    It was also the Dane’s first pole, ahead of his eighth place in the sprint race the following day.

    The Interlagos circuit in the Brazilian city of São Paulo is well-known for providing thrilling races. The lap is only 4.309 kilometres long, making it one of the shortest of the year, with only Monaco and Mexico City being shorter. It’s also run anti-clockwise and situated on a hillside, which gives it a unique character. The drivers face a steep downhill section after the first corner, followed by a long climb uphill with several winding turns, and then a long straight leading back to the finish line. The track has 15 corners –  five right-handers and nine left-handers – with several direction changes. Interlagos has a bit of everything, featuring low as well as medium speed corners, and the cars running quite a high level of downforce. The forces acting on the tyres are reasonably balanced between lateral and longitudinal. The asphalt itself has a high level of roughness: typical of permanent tracks with a long history behind them. Degradation is mainly thermal, so the C2, C3, and C4 compounds have been chosen. A two-stopper is the most likely strategy, while a one-stopper would require plenty of tyre management; affecting race pace. The safety car has often featured during the grand prix, introducing another key variable, and we have also seen that weather conditions can vary rapidly and widely at this time of year as well. Interlagos will additionally host the final sprint round of the season, giving the teams and drivers another chance to assess tyre behaviour over long runs. Since sprint races came in for the 2021 season, Interlagos has always been one of them – a sure sign of how this track consistently delivers the sort of close racing that suits the sprint format.

    Mario Isola, Pirelli – Head of Motorsport.

  • Andrea Kimi Antonelli promoted to Formula 2

    PREMA Racing have announced that Andrea Kimi Antonelli will be graduating to Formula 2 with the team, becoming the first driver announced for the 2024 campagin.

    The 17 year old Italian racer steps up as the reigning Champion of the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine. Earning five victories and a further six podiums on his way to claiming his fifth title in two years.

    The Mercedes junior made his step up to single seaters with the Italian team in 2021, making a three-round appearance in Italian F4.
    A full season followed the next year alongside a campaign in German F4, securing the Drivers’ title in both Championships with a combined total of 22 wins. Additionally, he won the gold medal in the FIA Motorsport Games Formula 4 Cup.

    From there, Antonelli earned three wins and seven podiums on his way to the Formula Regional Middle East Championship title, before going on to triumph in FRECA during his rookie season.

    Antonelli will get his first taste of Formula 2 action during the post-season test at Yas Marina from November 29th to December 1st.

    I’m very happy for this opportunity. From Formula Regional to Formula 2, it will be a huge jump. I’m aware that it will be very challenging because the level is really high there. It will be a new car, for me and the others as well but it’s still going to be tough. I don’t want to set expectations, I will try to learn as much as possible in testing to be ready for the first race, have fun as always, and do a good job. I’m delighted to continue with PREMA as I started my single-seater career with them and they are my second family and I love working with them.

    Antonelli on the news.

    We are proud to welcome Kimi to our FIA Formula 2 Championship team. He has been with us since the very beginning so not only do we know him well, but we are also particularly proud of what he was able to achieve in his first two years full-time in single seaters. Kimi is a gifted racer and a great team player, so we cannot wait to see what the 2024 season will bring and we are focused on helping him make the step in the smoothest possible way.

    Rene Rosin, Team Principal.

  • NIO 333 starts new era as ERT Formula E team

    ERT Formula E Team comes after the seven-season partnership with Chinese car manufacturer NIO draws to a conclusion as the long-standing team heads towards their 10th season with ambitious plans for this new chapter.

    The outfit are coming off the back of one of their best seasons in recent years. In the hands of Dan Ticktum and Sergio Sette Camara, who will continue with team in Season 10, the combined effort saw one of the team’s best seasons in recent years.

    The pair demonstrated an impressive one-lap pace with 10 Duels appearances, converting these top 10 starting positions into nine point-scoring finished and ending the season in ninth in the overall Teams’ standings.

    Based out of their headquarters at the Silverstone Race Circuit, as part of the ERT ‘rebirth’ the team will look to commercialise their technology and IP and apply this on track learning to road products, along with supporting the wider industry to push sustainable transport solutions.

    ERT have been in the series since the dawn of Formula E, with Nelson Piquet Jnr taking the inaugural Drivers’ title with the team in the 2014/15 season. There have been a few name changes since then with NIO joining the squad in Season 3.

    We are proud to unveil our new identity as the ERT Formula E Team, it is an exciting step in our journey. As the only manufacturer Formula E team that is not currently tied to an OEM, our powertrain and software development has been done independently, putting us in a unique position. Utilising what we have learnt on track, we have already identified that we have a lot to offer in terms of improving electric vehicle performance, not just in relation to powertrains but whole vehicle engineering support and solutions, something which is already proving of interest within the automotive and motorsport industries. It is a natural progression for us to move forward commercialising this knowledge with the increasing global adoption of EVs, particularly as Formula E provides such a strong platform for OEMs and as such our conversations with partners in this arena are already advanced.

    Alex Hui, Team Principal for ERT.

  • China and India join USA & Japan to stage Formula E races

    The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship today announced a return to China and India for the milestone 10th season, which makes it the only motorsport to stage events during 2024 in the world’s three most populous countries: China, India and USA.

    Shanghai and Hyderabad were confirmed as host cities in Season 10 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship following approval at the FIA World Motorsport Council meeting on 19th October.

    Formula E will race for the first time in Shanghai at the Shanghai International Circuit with a double-header of races on Saturday 25th May and Sunday 26th May 2024.
    The first ever Formula E race was held in Beijing on 13th September 2015 with a second instalment following a year later. Sanya then hosted the most recent Chinese E-Prix in 2019, with Formula E also racing in Hong Kong on four occasions over three seasons between Seasons 2 and 5.

    Hyderabad will host Formula E again on Saturday 10th February 2024, with the support from the Telangana Government and Minister K. T. Rama Rao and following the 31,000 capacity sold out-debut race in February this year.

    There are two more updates to the Season 10 calendar. The event planned for Jakarta on Saturday 8th June will not go ahead following the announcement of a campaigning period in the Indonesian presidential elections during most of June.
    This would impact the logistics of delivering a race on the streets of the capital city at the same time.

    The second update is a likely venue change in Italy for Rounds 7 and 8. This follows a review by experts at Formula E and the FIA into the Season 9 races in Rome, where the new faster cars reached the limits of the narrow, sharp turning circuit in Rome.
    Formula E is exploring alternative venues, including permanent circuit to maintain an event in the key Italian market. An update on the venue is expected before the end of the year.

    Without doubt our Season 10 calendar is the most compelling yet for drivers, teams, fans and viewers around the world. We are taking Formula E to Shanghai for the first time and are honoured to return to India thanks to the support of the Telangana Government and Minister K. T. Rama Rao. The combination of street circuits, which is in Formula E’s DNA, and established race tracks will allow drivers to push the capabilities of the GEN3 car harder and further after a first season that beat all expectations with triple-digit overtakes in most races and the world championship titles decided on the final weekend.

    Alberto Longo, Co-Founder & Chief Championship Officer, Formula E.

    Formula E will lead global motorsport next season as the only world championship to race in the three biggest markets of China, India and the USA. Together with our debut on the streets of Tokyo and races in other major global markets like Brazil, Germany, Saudi Arabia and the UK, we have built a calendar that has the potential to engage billions of people in the exciting, entertaining, electric future of motorsport.

    Jeff Dodds, CEO, Formula E.

  • RND 20 – Mexico City Grand Prix

    Round 20 is over, and we had a very mixed race, with a top driver out on lap 1, a red flag due to another crash and a driver coming from the back to end up in the top 10.

    Max Verstappen scored a dominant victory at this weekend’s Mexcio City Grand Prix, making it his 16th victory of the season. Lewis Hamilton made it back on the podium after being disqualified the weekend before. Charles Leclerc also makes it on the podium in third.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Verstappen, P2: Hamilton, P3: Leclerc, P4: Sainz, P5: Norris, P6: Russell, P7: Ricciardo, P8: Piastri, P9: Albon and P10: Ocon.

    A good result for Hamilton and Leclerc, especially after being disqualified from Round 19 last week, this means for Hamilton that his closed the gap down to Perez.

    Talking of Perez… he had a good start once the lights went out but it didn’t last very long as he tried to go round the outside of Leclerc, who was sandwiched between both Red Bulls and had no where to go which saw Perez have contact and spin round. He managed to get going again, but he went into the pits and retired from there.
    It’s not very good for the Mexican at all, with the speculation surrounding his seat for next season and if he will be on the grid next year…

    Lando Norris what a drive from the Brit, starting 17th and he had an outstanding recovery drive to end up P5! Piastri also had an okay race, so a decent weekend for the team in total.

    Ohhhh Daniel Ricciardooo, POINTS!!! After having an impressive qualifying session he managed to stick it out and battled hard to stay in the top 10 and score some all important points for the team.

    The red flag was for Magnussen on lap 33, we saw the Dane spinning into the barrier at the esses, with the rear of his car on fire, forcing the stewards to stop proceedings by waving a red flag.

    Looking at the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Standings.
    Hamilton is only 20 points away from Sergio Perez in second, with three race weekend’s left. Sainz has overtook Alonso in the Standings but they are both on 183 points. Norris is only 3 points ahead of Charles Leclerc in P7, and Russell is 15 points behind the Monegasque driver.
    Ricciardo moves up to 17th, his only two points behind his teammate whose in 16th and Hulkenberg 3 points ahead in 15th.

    McLaren in 4th have built up a gap to Aston Martin in 5th, they will be looking to score more this weekend as its a sprint weekend so more chance for points.
    AlphaTauri have jumped up to 8th and are on 16 points, after Daniel Ricciardo scored well, but they have work to do as Alfa Romeo are also on 16 points in 9th and Haas are on 12 points in 10th, so its all to play for in the final 3 rounds…

  • Mexico City Grand Prix

    We are at our second race weekend in our triple header, and it’s the home Grand Prix of Red Bull’s Sergio Perez!

    Can the home hero take the win? Or will Max Verstappen show another dominating race weekend to make it victory number 16 this season?

    Or, will we see the likes of Lewis Hamilton or Lando Norris battle for the win also? It’s all to play for this weekend as we only have four races left of the season!

    Who needs to shine?

    Obviously with the news that Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton are disqualified after the race last weekend, both drivers will be wanting to get those points back as much as possible!
    Hamilton is currently fighting for P2 in the Drivers’ Championship with Perez and the 7 time World Champion will be wanting a few good results to achieve that.
    Whereas, Leclerc he has been jumped by Lando Norris for P6, and he has got George Russell behind him in 8th only 8 points away, so it’s very close between P4 and P8 where only 40 points separate them…

    Looking at the results from last weekend, Alonso had a costly DNF he will be wanting to have a very different weekend, hoping to score some points. That will also be the same for McLaren’s Oscar Piastri aswell.

    Home hero, Sergio Perez will be wanting to do well in front of the home crowd, I can expect he won’t go any less than a podium, so hopefully we get to see some good overtakes from the Mexican.

    Predictions for Qualifying-

    My top five predictions are- Pole: Verstappen, P2: Hamilton, P3: Norris, P4: Perez and P5: Russell.

    The low degradation we have here at Mexico results in relatively few overtakes, as it’s hard to build a compound delta. The low degradation also means that there is a very low undercut potential.

    So I don’ think we will be getting a crazy race on Sunday, we may get a little bit of drama going into Turn 1 but nothing to drastic.

  • Doohan set for FP1 sessions

    Formula 2 racer, Jack Doohan will get behind the wheel for the Alpine F1 team during first practice in Mexico and Abu Dhabi.

    The 20 year old is currently sitting fourth in the F2 drivers’ standings with one round remaining.
    Doohan – now into his second season with the Alpine Academy – previously took part in the same two FP1 sessions for the outit during the latter stages of the 2022 campaign.

    Despite his first outing in Mexcio City being cut short due to “anomalies” on his Renault power unit, the Australian admitted that the memory of making his Formula 1 weekend debut was something he would “cherish forever”.

    Now Doohan will return to the cockpit when he drives the A523 with F1 teams required to run a young driver – defined as someone who has started no more than two Grands Prix – in two FP1 sessions per season.

    The Abu Dhabi weekend will feature both the Formula 1 and Formula 2 season finales so it is likely to be a busy event for Doohan who enter the F2 final round with a seven point advantage over fellow Alpine Academy driver Victor Martins.

    Very grateful to BWT Alpine F1 team for the opportunity to drive the A523 in Free practice at the Mexican and Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Can’t wait to go through the motions in a weeks time and hop into the car!

    Doohan took to Instagram to share the news.

  • PREMA retain Beganovic for 2024

    Dino Beganovic will be returning to Formula 3 with PREMA Racing, becoming the first driver announced for the 2024 campaign.
    The Swede made his F3 debut this year with the Italian team, finishing his maiden campaign in sixth in the Drivers’ championship.

    The partnership between Beganovic and PREMA is a longstanding one, with the 19 year old having first raced for the team back in 2020 when he claimed P3 in Italian F4.

    He continued with PREMA in 2020 and 2021, moving up to the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine, achieving a P13 finish before winning the series in ’21 taking four victories and a further 10 podiums along the way.

    In 2023, the Ferrari Academy junior, scored four podium finishes in F3 and a further six top 10 finishes. Beganovic said that he was pleased to a continuing with the team next year having achieved so much already in PREMA colours.

    During post-season testing, Beganovic was the fastest driver at Jerez finishing the second day with a 1:29.900. He also ended the Barcelona test on top leading the afternoon session on Day 2.

    I’m super happy to confirm that I’m staying for another year with my team, PREMA Racing, in Formula 3. It’s very nice to stay with the team as it will be our fifth year together. I cannot wait to continue the work we have done together throughout the years, starting from Formula 4. Our targets are clear and have been set high, but they are achievable. We will continue to focus on the testing sessions to prepare as much as possible for the first race next year.

    Beganovic on the seat.

    We always enjoyed working with Dino. He is a quick and knowledgeable driver and works really well in our team’s environment. With the experience gained this year, he will make his challenge even more solid and by what we saw so far in testing, there is great promise for sure. We are very happy to continue the path we started together in 2020, and we look forward to seeing what the future will bring.

    Rene Rosin, Team Manager.

  • McLaren sign F1 Academy’s Bianca Bustamante

    F1 Academy racer, Bianca Bustamante has become the newest addition to the McLaren Driver Development programme, with the 18 year old making history as the first female driver to join the British team’s development programme.

    Born in the Philipines, Bustamante made her single-seater debut in 2022, competing in W Series, where she claimed the top rookie honours. This year, she joined the grid for the inaugural F1 Academy season with PREMA Racing, earning two wins and two podiums.

    As part of the programme, Bustamante will represent McLaren on the 2024 F1 Academy grid and run their livery, switching to race with ART Grand Prix.

    Her involvement in the McLaren Driver Development programme, led by Emanuele Pirro, will see her join the team’s talent pipeline which has an overarching aim to help drivers progress towards Formula 1, IndyCar and Formula E.

    This is such an unreal moment in my career, to sign with McLaren and ART Grand Prix is way beyond anything I could’ve ever imagined growing up racing karts in the Philippines. I still have a hard time seeing my name next to McLaren without getting emotional, as the history and heritage linked to this team leaves me truly speechless. I’m so grateful for this opportunity as I believe I now have the best possible development structure around me to take the next step up in my career, and for this I am so thankful. 2023 was all about improving my speed which I demonstrated across several races this year, but in 2024 my aim is to establish consistency and improve my mental strength in order to make a title challenge in the coming F1 Academy season. For now, my focus is to finish off the F1 Academy season strongly here in Austin, but we’ll get to work immediately on the 2024 season. I’ve never been more motivated in my life! A big thanks goes to Susie Wolff and the team at F1 Academy for fighting so hard for us girls and to give us this opportunity to be the best we can be. Additional thanks go to Zak Brown, Andrea Stella, Emanuele Pirro, Sebastian Philippe, my sponsors, and all my supporters for believing in me and making this all possible. I am full of gratitude, and I promise to give it my all.

    Bianca on the news.

    The team are delighted for Bianca to join us, and for McLaren to be involved in F1 Academy. It’s a core principle of ours to be a diverse and inclusive team, so we’re pleased to be so involved in Formula 1’s work on the important topic of improving gender diversity within motorsport. We also look forward to seeing Bianca grow and progress within the McLaren Racing Driver Development programme under Emanuele’s guidance.

    Andrea Stella, McLaren’s Team Principal.

    I’m pleased that Bianca is joining our Driver Development programme. She’s a promising young talent who has a brilliant work ethic and is aligned closely to our team’s values. I look forward to working with Bianca on her development as a racing driver. We’re also excited for Bianca to be representing the team in the F1 Academy series and we look forward to seeing her race in papaya in 2024.

    Emanuele Pirro, Director of the McLaren Racing Driver Development.

  • Mexico Tyre Selection

    The tyres have been chosen for this weekend’s Mexico City Grand Prix, where we go back to the normal race weekend format!

    The compounds the team will have are: C3 (Hard), C4 (Medium) and C5 (Soft), this is one step softer than last years race weekend.

    Graining is often seen at this track, with the cars sliding more due to the reduced aerodynamic effect and high altitude.

    There is also a big difference in temperature between the start and the end of each day: which is a factor to bear in mind when analysing potential degradation rates.

    Max Verstappen is the most successful driver in Mexico City, with four wins from seven participations. This also means that Red Bull has more victories than any other team in Mexico.

    A one-stopper was the most popular strategy last year. Max Verstappen started on used softs and then finished the race on the mediums, ahead of Lewis Hamilton who instead started on the mediums and then finished the race on the hard tyre.

    The second stop on Formula 1’s American tour takes place in Mexico City on the circuit named after Pedro and Ricardo Rodriguez: the brothers who were local motorsport heroes throughout the 1960s and 1970s. The track, located on the west side of the city, is just over four kilometres long with 17 corners and it sits at more than 2000 metres of altitude. This has an important effect on car performance, with the rarefied air reducing drag and also downforce. As a result, the aero settings on the cars are similar to those used on high-downforce circuits – only with a much reduced effect on the tyres. The grip from the asphalt is also much less than average, as surface roughness is among the lowest of the entire calendar.

    This year we have decided to bring the three softest compounds to Mexico – C3, C4 and C5 – after careful reflection based on last year’s information, as well as the simulations that the teams have as always supplied to us. This should lead to a wider variety of strategy choices throughout the race, opening the door to a two-stop strategy as well. Last year, when the chosen compounds were C2, C3, and C4, nearly all the drivers stopped only once, mainly using soft and medium.

    Mexico also gives us the chance to try out a new variant of the C4 with all the teams. During the two hours of free practice on Friday each driver will have two sets of these new prototypes to use as they wish. Once we have analysed all the data, we will then decide whether or not to homologate this version for use in 2024.

    Mario Isola, Pirelli Head of Motorsport.