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  • F3 Budapest- Day 2 & 3

    Day 2-

    Caio Collet, brought home his first win in Formula 3 in an impressive fassion mastering the wet to drying conditions in a race of attrition that caught several of the title contenders out.

    Starting fourth, the MP Motorsport driver made his presence known, slicing his way through the field and up into the lead before driving off into the distance to finish 8.7s clear of second place Franco Colapinto.

    The celebrations continued for MP, as Kush Maini made it at a double podium for the Dutch team having carved his way up from P7 to P3 at the chequered flag.

    As the spray faded and the tyres waned, the race turn into survival of the fittest as the field attempted to conserve their wet Pirelli compounds to the chequered flag with five laps remaining. Nobody seemed to be immune – Leclerc’s moment of oversteer saw him take a hefty whack over the red and white kerbs at Turn 4.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Collet, P2: Colapinto, P3: Maini, P4: Hadjar, P5: Bearman, P6: Martins, P7: Saucy, P8: Goethe, P9: Stanek and P10: Maloney.

    Day 3-

    Maloney got a great launch but was immediately covered off by pole sitter. The Trident driver tried a move around the outside at Turn 1 but was unsuccessful. It allowed Bearman to get a great driver on the corner exit to make it three-wide into Turn 2.

    Behind that trio, Maini climbed up to fourth but was closely watched by Crawford after the pair had cleared Gregoire Saucy off the line. The red and white PREMA claimed P4 on the run to Turn 4 whilst Reece Ushijima was on the move too, rising up to ninth after Lap 1 from P19 on the grid.

    Championship leader heading into the Feature Race, Isack Hadjar meanwhile was going backwards. He dropped down to 18th after being forced to take avoiding action at Turn 2 on the outside of the corner.

    Towards the end of the race, Correa was flying on his slick tyres and lapping seconds quicker than the race leaders. Edgar displayed just how much quicker the dry tyres were by unlapping himself from Maloney, Bearman and Crawford as they fought for second.

    O’Sullivan was another to have swapped the wets for dry tyres down in 17th and was 10 seconds quicker than race leader Smolyar on Lap 22. He passed the ART Grand Prix car of Correa to be the highest placed driver on the slick tyres.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Smolyar, P2: Maloney, P3: Bearman, P4: O’Sullivan, P5: Crawford, P6: Correa, P7: Maini, P8: Leclerc, P9: Collet and P10: Martins.

    Now we have the summer break, but when we are back we have a triple header, which means the Formula 3 2022 season is coming to an end!

  • Alpine in trouble?…

    Alpine announced on social media today, that Oscar Piastri will be racing for them in 2023, alongside Esteban Ocon to replace Fernando Alonso… but what on earth is going on?

    Oscar Piastri then took to social media to say that he “will not be driving for Alpine next year” hours after the team announced they would be promoting him to a full time race seat in 2023.

    Piastri, announced as Aston Martin-bound Fernando Alonso’s replacement for 2023 earlier on but the Austrialian driver then took to Twitter and Instagram to insist otherwise.

    I understand that, without my agreement, Alpine F1 have put out a press release late this afternoon that I am driving for them next year. This is wrong and I have not signed a contract with Alpine for 2023. I will not be driving for Alpine next year.

    Oscar Piastri on social media.

    BWT Alpine F1 Team confirms 21-year-old reserve driver Oscar Piastri as Esteban Ocon’s teammate starting from 2023. In line with the commitments made by the team to the young Australian, Oscar will be promoted to race driver and step in Fernando Alonso’s seat from next year onwards.

    Alpine earlier today.

    Oscar is a bright and rare talent. We are proud to have nurtured and supported him through the difficult pathways of the junior formula. Through our collaboration over the past four years, we have seen him develop and mature into a driver who is more than capable of taking the step up to Formula 1. As our reserve driver he has been exposed to the team at the track, factory and testing where he has shown the maturity, promise and speed to ensure his promotion to our second seat alongside Esteban. Together, we believe the duo will give us the continuity we need to achieve our long-term goal of challenging for wins and championships.

    Otmar Szafnauer, Alpine team principle.

    What will Alpine do now? Who will drive for them?

    There isn’t much for them to do apart from look for a new driver… but who is the question?

    Daniel Ricciardo? Could Piastri take Ricciardo’s seat at McLaren and then Ricciardo go back to Alpine formally Renault?

    Or possibly Zhou Gunayu? He was formally an Alpine junior until they let him go last year… but if push comes to shove would Zhou be happy to go and be apart of their family? If this did happen, this would then make way for Theo Pourchaire at Alfa Romeo.

    If none of the above, Alpine could possibly go down the rookie route and look at F2, Felipe Drugovich, is currently leading the championship, plus he has no junior driver clause as he is not signed to an acadamey.

    If not, Red Bull may push for one of their academy drivers to get that seat? They have a few juniors currently in F2 and looks like it would be their last year possibly.

  • Alonso signs multi-year deal with Aston Martin

    It’s the first morning of summer break and silly season has officially started… Aston Martin have moved swiftly to announce a replacement for Sebastian Vettel, swapping one world champ for another. Fernando Alonso joins the team in 2023 on a multi-year deal.

    Alonso returned to Formula 1 in 2021 with Alpine after a two year sabbatical and has delivered a string of impressive drives alongside Esteban Ocon, especially helping his teammate get his first win last year in Hungary!

    When Vettel announced he was retiring last Thursaday, Alonso emerged as the favourite to replace him given his wealth of F1 experience as well as the two World Championships he has.

    The news comes less than 24 hours after Alpine F1 boss, Otmar Szafnauer expressed confidence that Alonso would stay with the team for 2023 and beyond, predicting talks would be “very straightforward”.

    Alpine were trying to find a seat for reserve driver Piastri and looked set to loan him out to Williams next year, but with Alonso’s exit it looks like the Aussie will step up and join Esteban Ocon at the team from 2023.

    This Aston Martin team is clearly applying the energy and commitment to win, and it is therefore one of the most exciting teams in Formula 1 today. I have known Lawrence and Lance [Stroll] for many years and it is very obvious that they have the ambition and passion to succeed in Formula 1. I have watched as the team has systematically attracted great people with winning pedigrees, and I have become aware of the huge commitment to new facilities and resources at Silverstone. No one in Formula 1 today is demonstrating a greater vision and absolute commitment to winning, and that makes it a really exciting opportunity for me. I still have the hunger and ambition to fight to be at the front, and I want to be part of an organisation that is committed to learn, develop and succeed. We all appreciate that there is much to be done to get to the front, and that we must apply all our energies in working together to find performance. The passion and desire to perform that I have witnessed convince me to maintain my enjoyment and commitment to the sport. I intend to win again in this sport and therefore I have to take the opportunities that feel right to me.

    Alonso on his move to AM.

    I have known and admired Fernando for many years and it has always been clear that he is a committed winner like me. I have set out to bring together the best people and develop the right resources and organisation to succeed in this highly competitive sport, and those plans are now taking shape at Silverstone. It seemed natural therefore to invite Fernando to be part of the development of a winning team, and we very quickly established in our recent conversations that we have the same ambitions and values, and it was logical and easy to confirm our desire to work together.

    Lawrence Stroll on signing the 2 times world champ.

  • Round 13- Hungarian GP

    The final race of the first half of the season has came to an end, and it was definitely an interesting one, a certain team getting their strategy very wrong and a spin half way through from the leader…

    But through all of that Max Verstappen took the win after starting in P10, (who said you can’t overtake at the Hungaroring!) Lewis Hamilton finished second that makes it his 5th podium in a row and George Russell rounds out the podium, a second double podium in a row for the Silver Arrows.

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

    Not the way today was meant to go for Ferrari, another what was meant to be an ‘easy’ race for the Italian team didn’t turn out that way… they used the wrong strategy and put them on hards, which everyone (teams) knew that the window to get the hard tyres up to temperature was just not there…

    Another good weekend for Alpine, double points finish once again, if they carry on like this McLaren might be in a bit of trouble…

    Talking about McLaren, a good race for Lando Norris finish P7 a good amount of points for the Brit. But for Daniel a different story, finishing P15, not what the team expected and the collision with Stroll more than didn’t help the Aussie.

    Aston Martin finishing in the points a second weekend in a row, but this time its Sebastian Vettel in 10th, rather than last weekend it being his teammate.

    The Championship-

    Max extends his lead to now 80 points between him and Charles, Perez has closed down the gap a little bit more to the Ferrari driver. George Russell has taken P4 of Carlos Sainz but only two points separate the two. Hamilton is joining in on the fight for P4 now, as his only 10 points away from Carlos.

    Looking at the constructors, Red Bull almost have a 100 point gap to Ferrari but they have got bigger fish to fry as Mercedes are only 30 points away and if they carry on with their double podium finishes it wont take them long. Alpine are still in 4th but they haven’t pulled away from McLaren as expected, just four points seperate the two.

    Now as were at the summer break our next race isn’t until the 26th to 28th August and for the Belgian Grand Prix! But that doesn’t mean I’ll stop posting so sign up for notifications when I do!

  • Round 14- London E-Prix

    Round 14- London E-Prix

    Free Practice 3-

    Envision Racing’s Nick Cassidy fired to the top of the timesheets in Free Practice 3, ahead of the SABIC London E-Prix Round 14 with a 1m 12.933s the weekends quickest time so far, pipping Antonio Felix da Costa and Robin Frijjns.

    Cassidy had cut through the field to fourth yesterday before a penalty for Nyck de Vries for his defence towards the end of the race elevated the Envision driver to a spot on the podium. He would be encouraged by his pace to carry over today as will the team as Frijns was all but matching him by 0.093s back in third.

    Track conditions were tricky out there, with both Venturi’s spinning – Mortara finding the Tecpro barriers at the chicane, the Swiss got away without any amjor damage but it was illustrative of the challenge offered up at the ExCeL.

    Qualifying-

    Jake Dennis sealed a second consecutive Julius Baer Pole Position in as many days in London, as the Brit set off in search of a SABIC London E-Prix Round 14 win and a potential Grand Slam.

    Dennis steered to an astonishing 1m12.535s lap in the Final Duel with yet another amazing performance behind the wheel of his Avalanche Andretti. Lucas di Grassi was his opponent but the ROKiT Venturi Racing driver had made a mistake on his flying lap as well as struggling with Dennis’ pace.

    Antonio Giovinazzi made his first ever duels appearance and will more than certainly be thrilled with the third fastest time of the session – by far his best this season.

    Standings leader, Stoffel Vandoorne failed to make the cut in the Groups, though none of his closest rivals progressed to the duels either- leaving the title fight to play out via a battle from the midfield. Stoffel secured 13th, Mitch Evans his closest rival in one spot back, whilst Edoardo Mortara sits 17th and Jean-Eric Vergne is best placed out of the top four.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Dennis, P2: Di Grassi, P3: Giovinazzi, P4: Da Costa, P5: De Vries, P6: Buemi, P7: Cassidy, P8: Askew, P9: Gunther and P10: Vergne.

    Round 14-

    Lucas di Grassi took his maiden win for ROKiT Venturi Racing in the SABIC London E-Prix Round 14, after overcoming home hero and pole sitter, Jake Dennis over a hard-fought and strategic 38 lap battle in the UK capital.

    Di Grassi, emerged through his last of three mandatory Attack Mode activations with enough in hand to ensure he’d make it by Dennis, when the Brit jumped for his last 30kW boost. The Brazillian then stretched his advantage over the final few laps, and into added time to take the chequered flag first.

    Nyck de Vries, came home third, whilst his Mercedes-EQ teammate and standings leader clambered to fourth from 13th on the grid. His closest title rival Mitch Evans had made his way as high as fourth from 14th at the start of the race, but a late technical problem put-paid to his Round 14 and deal a hammer blow to his title challenge, with retirement from proceedings and a non-score.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Di Grassi, P2: Dennis, P3: De Vries, P4: Vandoorne, P5: Da Costa, P6: Buemi, P7: Frijns, P8: Bird, P9: Sette Camara and P10:

  • F2 Budapest- Day 1 & 2

    F2 Budapest- Day 1 & 2

    Day 1-

    Jack Doohan ended Free Practice fastest of all ahead of Qualifying but there was almost nothing splitting him from Ayumu Iwasa, only 0.001s was the gap from the Virtuosi driver and the DAMS in P2. David Beckmann popped up into P3 for Van Amersfoort Racing, with the German driver being the only one to improve in the final 10 minutes.

    Track temperatures were quickly rising as cars took to the track. A brief yellow flag was shown for a hare dashing across the circuit on the main straight but things remained as normal with 38 minutes left.

    Birthday boy, Marcus Armstrong was the first to set a representative time to go fastest early on. That lasted until Theo Pourchaire and Frederik Vesti made it an ART Grand Prix 1-2.

    Ayumu Iwasa left the rest of the Formula 2 in the dust as he stormed his way to his first pole position in the Championship. A blistering quick 1:27.930 set in the final few minutes of qualifying allowed him to better his nearest rival HiTech Grand Prix’s Marcus Armstrong, by an astonishing 0.381s, while Felipe Drugovich narrowly pipped Theo Pourchaire.

    Few drivers improved on their second runs, as Logan Sargeant opted to peel into off into the pits rather than set a second time. Olli Caldwell was the sole driver to run in the gap. This seemed to be a smart strategy for the Campos driver who leapt up from P16 to P1.

    However, it was Iwasa’s final run on his second set of softs that proved to be the making of his weekend. Whilst Armstrong failed to improve, the Japanese rookie turned the timing screens purple.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Iwasa, P2: Armstrong, P3: Drugovich, P4: Pourchaire, P5: Sargeant, P6: Vips, P7: Vesti, P8: Hauger, P9: Fittipaldi and P10: Doohan.

    Day 2-

    Fittipaldi aced his launch from second to take the lead in the opening metres from Doohan. A huge lock up at Turn 2 though undid his hard work and allowed the Virtusoi Racing driver to snatch the lead back.

    Meanwhile, Dennis Hauger endured a poor getaway and went three wide with Drugovich and Sargeant. Contact between the MP Motorsport and Carlin pair nudged the American into Hauger on the outside, tipping the Norwegian around and out of the race at Turn 1. Sargeant was also out of the race as a result of the contact, retiring from the pits.

    The action resumed heading onto Lap 4, and Doohan bolted early to leave the rest behind. Theo Pourchaire had dropped down to 16th on the opening lap after having to avoid action from the Turn 1 melee around the outside of the corner.

    Jehan Daruvala reported that his front tyres were already gone by lap 11, and the pressure from Marcus Armstrong behind was proof of that. The Hitech Grand Prix dirver shaped for a move into Turn 1, but the PREMA driver slammed the door shut to hold sixth for the time being.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Doohan, P2: Vips, P3: Fittipaldi, P4: Drugovich, P5: Vesti, P6: Lawson, P7: Armstrong, P8: Iwasa, P9: Pourchaire and P10: Caldwell.

  • Round 13- Hungary Qualifying

    Round 13- Hungary Qualifying

    I think most of us expected a wet qualifying, and we didn’t have one but we definitely had a few shock surprises! A drivers first pole position, a Red Bull out in Q2 and much more…

    It was George Russell who took pole position, his first in Formula 1 and the first for Mercedes this season! His followed closely by Carlos Sainz in 2nd and Charles Leclerc in 3rd!

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

    What a day for Mr Saturday!! I think the Hungaroring may be one of Russell’s favourite tracks! Scored his first points here as a Williams driver last year and now his on pole position for Mercedes a year later!

    A bad day for RB, Perez starts P11, he had a few lap times deleted and then he got knocked out of Q2. Now onto Max… he set a decent time in Q3 but when he went out for last few laps he was complaining of no power and wasn’t able to improve on his lap time which saw him be pushed down to 10th.

    A good day for McLaren both cars in the top 10 and Lando having qualified P4! Infront of the two Alpine’s which is where the fight will be for the British driver. Ricciardo will be hoping to move up a few positions or count on others misfortune, but he has two Bull’s behind him…

    This is what Ferrari needed! Both drivers basically starting next to each other, it gives the Italian team a big chance of points tomorrow, especially with the Bull’s a lot further down and its a track where overtaking isn’t the easiest.

    Alfa Romeo seemed to have a good day, Bottas back in the top 10 and Zhou Guanyu starting P12, a chance of scoring points tomorrow for both drivers!

    Predictions-

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

    As I said above, it’s a hard track to overtake on, and there is meant to be some rain before the race starts and we all saw how last year went… Or we could get a ‘normal’ race but whats the fun in that!

    Times for the weekend-

    Feature Race F3- 09:05am (BST)
    Feature Race F2- 10:35am
    F1 Race- 14:00pm

  • Round 13- London E-Prix

    Round 13- London E-Prix

    FP1-

    Sergio Sette Camara topped the timesheets in the opening session of this weekend’s SABIC London E-Prix, with the fastest time in Free Practice 1 ahead of Round 13.

    The Brazilian’s 1m14.487s was enough to pip top four title contender, Mitch Evans and Round 10 winner, Nick Cassidy. As Antonio Giovinazzi put on his best shwoing of the season in practice with the 4th quickest time, with reigning world champion Nyck de Vries in fifth.

    Jean-Eric Vergne had work to do as he sat in 17th, but practice isn’t always pace alone, especially this weekend as teams try and get to grips with the unique indoor/outdoor circuit at the ExCel, with plenty of elevation changes and varying surfaces to contend with.

    FP2-

    Brit, Jake Dennis headed the way in Free Practice 2 ahead of the SABIC London E-Prix Round 13, setting a 1m13.661s lap time to [i[ Oliver Rowland by 0.082 seconds with Andre Lotterer in third.

    Just 0.858 seconds split the top 20 runners in an ultra-close session, with Dennis a race winner here last season – able to squeak to the top of the pile. The first of the title contenders was Mitch Evans, the Kiwi posting the sixth quickest time of the morning. But standings leader, Stoffel Vandoorne was a couple of spots back in his Silver Arrow 02.

    A couple of drivers fell foul of the tricky track surface with Sam Bird pushing his luck on the way into the ExCeL and Lotterer pirouetting at the complex.

    Qualifying-

    Jake Dennis, starts on Julius Baer Pole Position on home turf at the SABIC London E-Prix Round 13, having produced the goods in some style in front of a vocal home support.

    Dennis was up on fellow finalist and standings leader Stoffel Vandoorne after the first couple of corners and had earlier flown to the fastest laps in each of the groups and knockout stages up to this point. By the middle of the lap, the Brit made big ground and had two tenths of a second on Vandoorne.

    Vandoorne still holds the cards in the title fight, though, with his nearest rival Edo Mortara down in ninth having failed to progress from the groups, Jean-Eric Verge 13th and Mitch Evans a spot behind in 14th.

    It’s amazing. That’s one of the best things about obviously racing In Formula E – if you do a good job, you can hear the crowd. I’ve had such a good day – first in practice, through to all the Qualifying Duels and then to go head to head with Stoffel in the end was tight. It was incredible and honestly, the cars been absolutely amazing today. We made a really good step forward from yesterday and to get the team that first pole this year is exceptional.

    Jake Dennis, on securing pole position.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Dennis, P2: Vandoorne, P3: De Vries, P4: Sette Camara, P5: Askew, P6: Gunther, P7: Cassidy, P8: Lotterer, P9: Mortara and P10: Frijns.

    Round 13-

    Jake Dennis, strode to a dominant lights-to-flag win in the London E-Prix for Round 13 to make it two wins in two years on home turf for the Brit at the ExCeL.

    Dennis was able to cover off the early advances of standings leader, Stoffel Vandoorne with the Mercedes-EQ driver content to play it cool to come home second for a 17th Formula E podium, with his closest championship rivals marooned down the field. But, by the first lap both Evans and Mortara had been in the wars, with Mortara forced to pit and entirely out of the fight.

    Reigning champ, Nyck de Vries played rear gunner for Vandoorne to occupy a racy Nick Cassidy as the Kiwi chased more silverware towards the end of the race but the Dutchman was able to hold fast for a podium. But it was meant to be for de Vries, as he got a 5 second penalty after the stewards found the Dutchman to change direction repeatedly under breaking.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Dennis, P2: Vandoorne, P3: Cassidy, P4: Askew, P5: Evans, P6: De Vries, P7: Da Costa, P8: Gunther, P9: Di Grassi and P10: Wehrlein.

  • F3 Budapest- Day 1

    Free Practice-

    F3 action resumed bright and early this morning, and it was Jak Crawford who hit the ground running almost immediately. Entering the weekend off the back of his first victory in the Championship last time out in Spielberg, the PREMA Racing driver left it to the last second to knock Zane Maloney off the top spot by a tenth of a second.

    Ideal conditions greeted the field of 30 at the Hungaroring. The session got underway with the field bolting on their sets of red-walled soft tyres, that they carried over form the previous round, and off the bat Josep Maria Marti got up to speed, laying down a 1:36.144.

    Times continued to tumble as David Vidales, Juan Manuel Correa, Gregoire Saucy and Zak O’Sullivan all took turns at the top of the order before Alexander Smolyar followed by Kush Maini put MP Motorsport up into P1.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Crawford, P2: Maloney, P3: Leclerc, P4: Hadjar, P5: Collet, P6: Smolyar, P7: Edgar, P8: Maini, P9: Stanek and P10: Villagomez.

    Qualifying-

    Alexander Smolyar secured pole position around the Hungaroring, avoiding a hectic conclusion to the session following a late red flag stoppage. Though time remained on the clock following a restart with three minutes to go, Zane Maloney was the closest anyone got to the MP Motorsport driver, ending the session second fastest 0.126s down.

    The track fell quiet with 10 minutes gone, Collet leading from Isack Hadjar and Victor Martins. Debutant, Oliver Goethe climbed up to P6 on his second flying lap for Campos Racing but lost his time for exceeding track limits at Turn 4 dropping him down to P10.

    None of the PREMA drivers had recorded a lap time in the opening half of the session due to deletions because of track limits violations. Purple sectors across the board from Arthur Leclerc which put him in P1 with a 1:32.912, whilst teammate Jak Crawford couldn’t quite match. Bearman meanwhile managed to go better than both to secure a PREMA 1-2-3.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Smolyar, P2: Maloney, P3: Bearman, P4: Leclerc, P5: Saucy, P6: Maini, P7: Crawford, P8: Martins, P9: Collet and P10: Hadjar.

  • A look into London

    We are now onto the final stretch of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship with the 2022 SABIC London E-Prix taking place this weekend at the ExCeL in the city’s historic docklands.

    Formula E made its first trip to the venue last season, and in a first for an international race series raced on an indoor/outdoor circuit layout which offered up a completely unique challenge for drivers and teams.

    The top four, are only split by fewer points than are on offer in any single Formula E round, and with the two races in London followed by a double-header in Seoul still to come, the season may be heading towards its climax but there’s still time for it to change…

    There will be a strong British presence both when the cars line up on the grid and in the garages supporting them. Six of the 22 drivers will be competing on home soil, with a full complement of fans in the grandstands for the first time after COVID restrictions affected the Season 7 event.

    The Circuit-

    We’re heading back to East London’s historic docklands and the ExCeL exhibition centre and circuit designed by British architect, Simon Gibbons in collaboration with the FIA and Motorsport UK.

    The 2,141km, 22 turn track is tight and twisty with a slicker, less grippy surface indoors and asphalt outside, with plenty of elevation changes. Regen is high with the new for Season 8 chicane complex between Turns 10 and 13 replacing last year’s double hairpin, and there is plenty of opportunity for overtaking.

    16x9-01

    Times for the weekend-

    Friday 29th July-

    • Free Practice 1: 17:15pm (BST)

    Saturday 30th July-

    • Free Practice 2: 09:00am (BST)
    • Qualifying: 10:40am
    • Round 13: 15:00pm

    Sunday 31st July-

    • Free Practice 3: 08:30am (BST)
    • Qualifying: 10:40am
    • Round 14: 15:00pm.

  • Vettel retiring end of season

    The day has arrived, and what a sad day it is! Four time world champion, Sebastian Vettel will retire from Formula 1 at the end of the 2022 season.

    The German driver, who made his debut with BMW Sauber in the 2007 United States Grand Prix, revealed the news via his newly created Instagram account.

    Vettel won all four of his championships with Red Bull between 2010 and 2013 and is third on the all-time list of Grand Prix winners with 53 victories. A six-year stint with Ferrari failed to yield a much-coveted fifth title. He has also scored one podium during one and a half years with Aston Martin where his contract expires at the end of 2022.

    Formula 1 teams, and drivers as well as drivers from Formula E took to social media to wish the World Champ well in his retirement, and having enjoyed racing him in past 15 years.

    Sebastian has used his platform in F1 to make a chnage, and in more recent years. Taking the knee with fellow drivers, raising awareness on the planet, and honestly just raising awareness in what’s going on in the world.

    Seb will be missed, his made a big impact in the past 15 years, and for me personally I’ve watched him since I was young, he was apart of my childhood. But seeing that his made this decision by himself and to do it for his family, no-one can put any negativity on that.

    I have had the privilege of working with many fantastic people in Formula 1 over the past 15 years – there are far too many to mention and thank. Over the past two years I have been an Aston Martin driver – and although our results have not been as good as we had hoped, it is very clear to me that everything is being put together that a team needs to race at the very highest level for years to come. I have really enjoyed working with such a great bunch of people. Everyone – Lawrence [Stroll], Lance [Stroll], Martin [Whitmarsh], Mike [Krack], the senior managers, the engineers, the mechanics and the rest of the team – is ambitious, capable, expert, committed and friendly, and I wish them all well. I hope that the work I did last year and am continuing to do this year will be helpful in the development of a team that will win in the future, and I will work as hard as I can between now and the end of the year with that goal in mind, giving as always my best in the last 10 races. The decision to retire has been a difficult one for me to take, and I have spent a lot of time thinking about it; at the end of the year I want to take some more time to reflect on what I will focus on next; it is very clear to me that, being a father, I want to spend more time with my family. But today is not about saying goodbye. Rather, it is about saying thank you – to everyone – not least to the fans, without whose passionate support Formula 1 could not exist.

    Sebastian Vettel on him leaving Formula 1.

    I want to thank Sebastian from the bottom of my heart for the great work that he has done for Aston Martin over the past year and a half. We made it clear to him that we wanted him to continue with us next year, but in the end he has done what he feels is right for himself and his family, and of course we respect that. He has driven some fantastic races for us, and, behind the scenes, his experience and expertise with our engineers have been extremely valuable. He is one of the all-time greats of Formula 1, and it has been a privilege to have been able to work with him. He will continue to race for us up to and including the 2022 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which will be his 300th Grand Prix entry. We will give him a fabulous send-off.

    Lawrence Stroll on Vettel.

    Sebastian is a superb driver – fast, intelligent and strategic – and of course we are going to miss those qualities. However, we have all learned from him, and the knowledge that we have gained from working with him will continue to benefit our team long after his departure. Aston Martin is a great project, with unlimited potential, and the groundwork that Sebastian has done last year, and is still doing this year, is crucial. When we become fully competitive – and we will – one of the architects of that future success will be Sebastian, and we will always be grateful to him for that.

    Mike Krack, on Seb.

  • Hungarian Grand Prix

    Our last race week is here, and summer break is just round the corner… But we return to Hungary for Round 13, where last year we saw a crazy race with Esteban Ocon winning his first F1 race…

    Could we see another crazy race this year? A first time win for a driver… George Russell… Kevin Magnussen.. Or could it be Lewis’ first win of the season? We will have to wait and find out on Sunday…

    Who needs a good weekend?

    Charles Leclerc, he potentially threw away a win last weekend, and I think he knows that… If he really wants to be in this championship fight I think he needs to just get his head down for this weekends race and then have time off and get back to it straight away.

    The Haas team will be wanting a good weekend, no points finish last time out, after scoring in both Silverstone and Austria, but they will be oping to maximise this weekend, and maybe be there on others misfortune….

    Alpha Tauri will be wanting a good weekend, Tsunoda last time out DNF’ed, and Gasly finished 12th, the Frenchman hasn’t scored points since Azerbaijan and Tsunoda since Spain…

    Predictions for qualifying-

    My top five are- P1: Verstappen, P2: Leclerc, P3: Sainz, P4: Hamilton and P5: Perez. I’m hoping for a McLaren, both Alpines and maybe a Hass if not both, in the top 10!

    At the time of writing this, it looks like there might be rain for qualifying. I’m kind of hoping there will be, I want a crazy race on Sunday so a qualifying where a few people are out of position will definitely be interesting.

    Times for weekend-

    Friday 29th-

    • Free Practice F3- 08:30am – 9:15am (BST)
    • Free Practice F2- 09:40am – 10:25am
    • Free Practice 1 F1- 13:00pm – 14:00pm
    • Qualifying F3- 14:30pm – 15:00pm
    • Free Practice 2 F1- 16:00pm – 17:00pm
    • Qualifying F2- 17:30pm – 18:00pm

    Saturday 30th-

    • Sprint Race F3- 10:00am – 10:45am (BST)
    • Free Practice 3 F1- 12:00pm – 13:00pm
    • Qualifying F1- 15:00pm – 16:00pm
    • Sprint Race F2- 17:00pm – 17:45pm

    Sunday 31st-

    • Feature Race F3- 09:05am (BST)
    • Feature Race F2- 10:35am
    • F1 Race- 14:00pm

  • Porsche set to enter F1, 50% stake in RB

    Details of Porsche’s Formula 1 entry have been revealed in legal documents, with an announcement expected early next month.

    A document from the Conseil de la Concurrence in Morocco has set out Porsche’s intentions to purchase 50% of the Red Bull Formula 1 operation which would make them equal partners in a 10 year agreement, reported by Motorsport-total.

    The document, reportedly submitted by Porsche AG and Red Bull GmbH, contains details of Porsche’s plans to buy half of Red Bull Technology. Antitrust regulations require authorities within the EU and 20 countries outside the EU must see the agreement, and details are reportedly set to be released by the Moroccan authorities as part of its legislative requirement to publish such agreements once they are agreed.

    Only Red Bull Technology is mentioned in the document, although an agreement will in all likelihood include AlphaTauri in being supplied with Porshe power, with the sister Red Bull team, remaining fully in Red Bull’s hands.

    The partnership between Red Bull and Porsche has long been rumoured to have been in the pipeline, with the German marque set to confirm their entry into Formula 1 once the 2026 engine regulations have been finalised and approved by the FIA World Motor Sport Council.

    There had been lots of previous reports of an official announcement of the Red Bull-Porsche deal would come at the Austrian Grand Prix, but was delayed as the future engine formula was not fully agreed at the last World Motor Sport Council meeting at the end of June.

    Meanwhile, reports of Audi lodging a bid to purchase a majority share of the Sauber Group persist, although Porsche’s fellow Volkswagen Group brand is not said to be as far along in finalising how their proposed involvement in Formula 1 will take shape.

  • Mansell in for Charouz

    Christian Mansell is racing for Charouz Racing System this weekend in Budapest. The Czech team confirmed that Mansell would be competing in both Rounds 6 & 7 of the season in Budapest and Spa in place of Zdenek Chovanec in the #15 car.

    The 17 year old, has been racing in EuroFormula Open this year and is currently second in the Drivers’ standings. He has secured multiple wins and podium finishes already this season, including runner-up results at both Hungary and Spa.

    The Australian driver, who is racing under a British license said that he was looking forward to the challenge of jumping into a Formula 3 car and his hoping his experience would bode well around both upcoming circuits.

    I’m super excited to be joining FIA Formula 3 with Charouz Racing System. This is a fantastic opportunity for me to put myself against an incredibly talented grid of drivers and get my name out there racing on the Formula 1 weekends. It will be my first time in the car so there will be a lot to learn from the start, but I like both circuits so I will be able to hit the ground running with those. I’m mega excited and can’t wait to get started this weekend in Hungary.

    Mansell on his opportunity this weekend.

    I’m really happy to welcome Christian in the team and I’m looking forward to see him in the car. He’ll need all of our support to get confident with a single-seater different from the ones he already raced with, but I’m confident that it will happen very naturally and very quickly given how talented he is. The fact that he already had experiences at both Hungaroring and Spa-Francorchamps is definitely an optimum starting point for his debut. The team and I are really excited to have him on board, I’m sure that he’s excited too and he’ll show everybody what he’s capable of.

    Antonin Charouz, team owner.

  • Hungary Tyre Allocation

    We are at our last race before the summer break, and Pirelli has chosen the tyres for this weekends Hungarian Grand Prix, we also have Formula 2 and Formula 3 with us aswell.

    We have the middle of the range this weekend: C2 (Hard), C3 (Medium), C4 (Soft).

    The Hungaroring has a reputation for being an extremely hot and dry track, last years track temperatures during a free practice session peaked at nearly 60 degrees.

    But the reality is that it’s actually rained just before the race for the past two seasons in Hungry. Last year led to a somewhat crazy re-start following a first corner incident, when Lewis Hamilton was the only person to get going on intermediates from the grid whilst everyone went into the pit for the slicks.

    The Hungaroring isn’t a particularly high energy circuit, with smooth asphalt that’s sometimes bumpy in places and the demands on tyres being more about traction rather than braking.

    In the past, the Hungaroring has been known as a place where it’s difficult to overtake, but the new package of cars and tyres this year helps drivers get much closer to each other, which is why we have seen some great races with plenty of overtaking so far this season. Hopefully that’s going to be the case at the Hungaroring as well; a tight and twisty track where the cars are often grouped together. Hungary is also known for being very hot, but it’s also rained for the last two years there: so the moral of the story is never to jump to conclusions! We’ve seen some surprises at the Hungaroring before, and that could be the case even more this year.

    Mario Isla, Motorsport Director

    Formula 2

    For Formula 2 this weekend, the medium and soft tyres have been nominated. It’s only the second time the combination has been used this season, after round two at Jeddah.

    Formula 3

    In Formula 3, the medium tyre will be nominated for the second time this season, with its previous appearance being in Imola for round 2.

  • Campos confirm Goethe to replace Yeany

    Campos Racing has announced that Oliver Goethe will replace Hunter Yeany for the sixth round of the 2022 FIA Formula 3 season in Budapest this weekend.

    Yeany was forced to withdraw from the previous round in Spielberg after sustaining a broken wrist in the Sprint Race. The American rookie still managed to finish the race but pulled out of the Feature Race the following day.

    Seizing the opportunity, Goethe is determined to gain lots of knowledge and an understanding about the car at a track he is fairly familiar with.

    After beginning his single-seater career in Spanish F4 in 2019, Goethe made the step up to Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine in 2021. Earlier this year he competed in the Formula Regional Asian Championship and won on his debut in the 24H GT Series, taking victory in his GT4 class at the Dubai 24H.

    Currently, the Danish-German driver, who is racing under a Monegasque licence, sits at the top of the Euroformula Open Championship standing, with eight wins and four podiums to his name across the first five rounds including a victory in the Hungarian capital earlier this month.

    I’m extremely excited to make my FIA F3 debut this weekend with Campos! I can’t wait to try out the car and compete amongst the best! It’ll be a great learning experience and I will make the most of it.

    Oliver Goethe on racing this weekend
  • Round 12- French GP

    Round 12- French GP

    Well, well, well… With this possibly being the last French GP for a while (nothing confirmed yet…) it was most definitely an exciting one, from Safety Car’s to VSC, spins and the all important debate… 1 stop or 2!

    For a second year in a row, Max Verstappen wins the French Grand Prix with Lewis Hamilton finishing 2nd in his 300th GP, and Mercedes make it a double podium for the first time this year, with George Russell finishing 3rd.

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

    Another mixed weekend for Ferrari, Carlos starting at the back of the grid due to penalties and had to make his way through the grid and to end up P5 is very good. On the other hand Charles… In the lead of the race and he crashes, not the first time the Monegasque has done that this season, but these costly mistakes are going to cost him the championship if he carries on.

    What a weekend for RB, taking home the win, and having Perez in P4, quite shocked he didn’t get a podium but he was caught sleeping when we went racing again after the VSC period by Russell, but on another note, the Mexican just has not looked comfortable in the car all weekend…

    Now onto Mercedes, WOW who would’ve thought they would walk away from the weekend with a double podium! Not me… but I feel like the win is coming soon for the Silver Arrows. Mercedes are now starting to close in on Ferrari in the Constructors, especially if things keep going wrong for the Italian team.

    Now onto, Alpine, the teams home GP and double points! I don’t think they could’ve asked for much more really, Alonso best of the rest in 6th and Ocon in 8th, a decent amount of points for them. Interested to see how the team will do in the next round!

    The Championship-

    Max has a healthy lead in front, with Leclerc remaining in 2nd but Sergio Perez has closed down the gap and is only 7 points away from the Ferrari driver in third. Sainz remains in fourth, but George Russell is coming back fighting for that fourth position and is only one point separating the pair. Hamilton remains in 6th, but slowly catching up his teammate.

    Red Bull builds on their lead with 394 points, Ferrari are in 2nd on 314 but Mercedes are only 44 points away from them in 3rd position. Alpine have now jumped McLaren and sit in fourth, with the British team sitting in 5th and four points away from Alpine.

    We don’t have long to wait, as we are returning next weekend for the Hungarian Grand Prix, the last race before summer break!

  • F2 Le Castellet – Day 2 & 3

    F2 Le Castellet – Day 2 & 3

    Day 2-

    Daruvala got a great start from pole position but Lawson lagged behind him, the Carlin driver fell down the order into Turn 1, losing second to Armstrong and third to Drugovich momentarily, but a wide moment on corner exit left the MP Motorsport driver in the hands of Pourchaire.

    Lawson kept in touch with Armstrong ahead and made a late lunge into Turn 1 on lap 4. The pair battle through the first sector and somehow avoided contact, just millimetres apart at Turn 4. After making the move, the gap to race leader Daruvala stood at 2.2s but Lawson set about hunting him down, to cut it down by 1.6s by Lap 6 and by Lap 8 the Carlin driver broke into DRS range.

    The Safety Car offered a brief pause in action, deployed on Lap 9 following contact between Robert Merhi and the recovering Enzo Fittipaldi. The pair had been fighting for 15th position but a slide and spin in the North Chicane on the Mistral Straight left the Charouz in the middle of the track. Amaury Cordeel behind couldn’t avoid him and made contact, putting both out of the race.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Lawson, P2: Daruvala, P3: Drugovich, P4: Doohan, P5: Vesti, P6: Iwasa, P7: Pourchaire, P8: Sargeant, P9: Sato and P10: Beckmann.

    Pourchaire, Vips, Armstrong and Fittipaldi have all been penalised, Pourchaire originally crossed the line in P3.

    Day 3-

    After warmer temperatures played havoc earlier on in weekend, the field would have been thankful to have been greeted by cooler morning conditions in Le Castellet – allowing the grid to split their strategies.

    The top five opted to get things underway on the softer compound, but that didn’t help Logan Sargeant, who suffered wheel spin off the line and dropped down to third. There were contrasting fortunes at the front of the pack, as Doohan got a blistering start to streak into the lead in the opening two corners. However, the Australian driver had company in the form of Iwasa, who immediately put him under pressure.

    The Safety Car was swiftly deployed as the marshals picked up both Armstrong, and the stricken Marino Sato, who’s race ended early in the run-off section. Firing up his tyres early, Iwasa streaked ahead of Doohan on the restart, as Lawson boldly dived to the inside of Drugovich to take seventh.

    The pit stop was the undoing of Sargeant’s day as well on Lap 13. The Carlin driver was unable to pull away from his pit box and was forced to retire, having looked solidly in the fight for a podium spot.

    But it was Ayumu Iwasa who took the win and his first Formula 2 win! Theo Pouchaire cmae home to finish 2nd, and his teammate Frederick Vesti rounded out the podium in P3, a double podium for the ART GP team.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Iwasa, P2: Pourchaire, P3: Vesti, P4: Drugovich, P5: Doohan, P6: Lawson, P7: Daruvala, P8: Novalak, P9: Nissany and P10: Fittipaldi.

    We are back next weekend and we are in Hungary for Round 10, our last before summer break!

  • Round 12- France Qualifying

    Round 12- France Qualifying

    Qualifying at Circuit Paul Ricard is now complete, and it was confirmed that Carlos Sainz and Kevin Magnussen will be both starting at the back of the grid due to taking extra power unit components.

    But it was Charles Leclerc who took pole position at Circuit Paul Ricard! Max Verstappen lines up on the front row with him in P2 and Sergio Perez rounds out the top 3 in P3.

    The full top 10 are: P1: Leclerc, P2: Verstappen, P3: Perez, P4: Hamilton, P5: Norris, P6: Russell, P7: Alonso, P8: Tsunoda, P9: Sainz and P10: Magnussen. But with the last two and them starting at the back Ricciardo and Ocon move up into the top 10.

    What a day for Leclerc! This is what he needed, and his teammate played the team game and gave Charles a tow and ensured him that he got pole position! But for Carlos he has a lot of work to do and I’m looking forward to seeing himself and Magnussen make their way up the field!

    Lando Norris, what a lap!! McLaren brought a lot of upgrades for this weekend and they are clearly paying off so far. It will be interesting to see if the car has the race pace tomorrow as if he wants to fight for a good amount of points he will be up against the Mercedes pair.

    Ahh so nice to see an Alpha Tauri in Q3, again they brought a few upgrades this weekend, not as many as McLaren but enough to get them further up the grid. Definitley be interesting to see how Tsunoda does and if he can capitalize on his qualifying position and score points tomorrow.

    Gutted for Mick, he was set for Q2, but he got his laptime deleted by the slightest of margins and he could of easily been in the top 10 with the pace he had. Be interesting to see how far he can get up the grid.

    Predictions-

    My top five are- P1: Leclerc, P2: Verstappen, P3: Perez, P4: Hamilton and P5: Russell.

    I don’t think there is going to be much change from the starting grid, but I feel like it will be a crazy and close race. If RB and Mercedes perfect their strategy Leclerc is going to struggle, especially being on his own and his teammate being no where near him…

    Timings for tomorrow-

    Feature Race F2- 08:35am (BST)
    Race- 14:00pm

  • F2 Le Castellet – Day 1

    Free Practice-

    Juri Vips became the driver to beat in the opening session in Le Castellet, clocking in a 1:46.501 to go over a tenth and a half clear of the pack in Free Practice. Ayumu Iwasa secured the second fastest time ahead of Frenchman, Theo Pourchaire.

    Although there are 167 different configurations of the Circuit Paul Ricard, the 22 car field took to the track to find the limit of it. However, that task is easier said than done as thermal tyre degradation left their rear wheel squealing for traction.

    Hauger got things underway with the first representative lap being laid down moments before Frederik Vesti brought a quick pause to proceedings. The ART GP driver, already experienced a delayed start to his running and shortly after getting out on track he came to a halt on the Mistral Straight.

    With 20 minutes left of the crucial 45 minute session, Pourchaire set his eyes on beating Iwasa to the fastest time. Despite the grid utilising the hard compound, keeping the tyres in their performance window proved a challenge especially in the final sector which saw several moments of oversteer.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Vips, P2: Iwasa, P3: Pourchaire, P4: Drugovich, P5: Daruvala, P6: Verschoor, P7: Armstrong, P8: Doohan, P9: Sargeant and P10: Fittipaldi.

    Qualifying-

    Logan Sargeant left it as late as possible to snatch pole position for the Feature Race in Le Castellet, narrowly edging out Ayumu Iwasa and Frederik Vesti by the slimmest of margins.

    Iwasa held provisional pole entering the final laps and Vesti couldn’t quite match him, ending up 0.023s down on the DAMS driver’s effort. Sargeant pulled out the time though, just 0.006s of it, but that was good enough for pole position Sunday.

    Drivers took extra care on their preparation laps to keep the soft compound as intact as possible for their flying laps with temperatures remaining high for the Qualifying session.

    Drivers boxed with 15 minutes remaining for the customary change of tyres. Enzo FIttipaldi didn’t join them though and was out of the car unable to take part in the final 10 minutes due to an issue on his car. Hauger joined the Brazilian on the sidelines shortly afters, as he came to a halt on the track and bringing out the red flags with just over seven minutes left of qualifying.

    The full top 10 are: P1: Sargeant, P2: Iwasa, P3: Vesti, P4: Doohan, P5: Pourchaire, P6: Drugovich, P7: Vips, P8: Armstrong, P9: Lawson and P10: Daruvala.

  • Sainz, 10 place grid penalty

    Carlos Sainz is set to take a 10 place grid penalty for the French Grand Prix as he has exceeded his allocation of control electronics.

    Sainz’s Ferrari came to a fiery halt in Austria, as the Ferrari driver was challenging Max Verstappen for P2 and ahead of this weekend’s action in France he said that Ferrari were considering changing his power unit.

    Taking a 10-place grid penalty as the Scuderia have fitted a third control electronics (CE), exceeding his allocation of two for the season. He has also taken his second of two allowed energy stores.

    But speaking after heading FP2 at a baking-hot Paul Ricard track, Sainz strongly hinted that the 10 place drop was unlikely to be the end of his penalties this weekend, with more power unit changes seemingly coming his way.

    It was definitely a positive Friday. I didn’t do many laps on the short run on low fuel, but every lap that I did was very competitive, which shows the steps that we’re taking and the direction we’re taking is going in the right direction. I’m focusing more in the long run because I’m not going to be in that fight for pole position given the amount of penalties [I have]. We will see. I mean I took 10, so you can expect what’s coming next.

    Carlos Sainz on his penalty.

  • French Grand Prix

    Another week, another race! We are on our final double header before summer break and our first stop is France. The home Grand Prix of Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon as well as Alpine.

    Will Ferrari’s reliability hold up? Or will it take a hit once again? What can Red Bull do and will Perez be looking for that win after last time out? And Mercedes… big upgrades are coming this weekend, will we see them fight for pole and the win?

    Who needs a good weekend?

    Carlos Sainz, after having mechanical issues last time out, he needs a good weekend in France as it looked like he was getting P2, which would’ve been an easy 1-2 for the Italian team.

    Sergio Perez, not a good weekend for him last time out. It’s going to be crucial for the Mexican and Red Bull to score good points this weekend, especially if he wants to be in this title fight.

    Pierre Gasly will be wanting a good weekend in front of his home crowd. This season isn’t going like last for the Frenchman, and his admitted the car is slow and possibly one of the slowest…

    Predictions for qualifying-

    My top five are- P1: Leclerc, P2: Verstappen, P3: Sainz, P4: Hamilton and P5: Perez.

    I think the Mercedes are going to close the gap to Ferrari and Red Bull. I think it will be top 6 fighting it out for pole and be quite close. Leclerc’s pace on one lap is definitely a stand out this year and hopefully it can be carried out.

    Times for weekend-

    Friday 22nd-

    • Free Practice F2- 10:35am – 11:20am (BST)
    • Free Practice 1 F1- 13:00pm -14:00pm
    • Free Practice 2 F1- 16:00pm – 17:00pm
    • Qualifying F2- 17:30pm – 18:00pm

    Saturday 23rd-

    • Free Practice 3 F1- 12:00pm – 13:00pm (BST)
    • Qualifying F1- 15:00pm – 16:00pm
    • Sprint Race F2- 17:00pm – 17:45pm

    Sunday 24th-

    • Feature Race F2- 08:35am (BST)
    • Race- 14:00pm

  • De Vries gets FP1 run

    Mercedes have announced that their reserve driver, Nyck de Vries will be behind the wheel of the W13 during the first practice session of this weekend’s French Grand Prix in place of Lewis Hamilton.

    The FP1 run for the 27 year old, is a part of the 2022 sporting regulations, that teams are obliged to run rookie drivers in two FP1 sessions across the season. Red Bull and Williams have already completed one session so far.

    This will be the Dutchmans second FP1 outing of the season, he took the wheel of the Williams FW44 in place of Alex Albon at the Spanish Grand Prix earlier this season.

    This isn’t the first time De Vries will be in a Mercedes car, he jumped in the Merc at last year’s post-season Abu Dhabi Grand Prix test as well as 2020. He is currently the reigning Formula E Champion, taking the title for Mercedes last year alongside fellow Mercedes reserve, Stoffel Vandoorne. Again, De Vries is driving in Formula E sitting eighth in the standings with four races left.

    Nyck is replacing Lewis in first practice this weekend, as part of the allocated sessions for young drivers this year. So, we’re looking forward to seeing how he gets on. Our understanding of the W13 is growing with every lap and it’s encouraging to see that reflected in our development and results. While we were quicker in Austria, we still weren’t quick enough to challenge at the front. We need to keep chasing those final few tenths and bringing new developments to the cars, including this weekend in France. Paul Ricard is a very different track and challenge. It has smooth tarmac and a wide range of corner types, along with long straights. The aim will be to make further inroads on the gap to the front and hopefully be back on the podium.

    Toto Wolff, Mercedes Team Principle.

  • France Tyre Allocation

    After a two week break we are back and the French GP has arrived. We have been given the tyre allocation for the weekend.

    The following are the tyres nominated for the weekend: C2 (Hard), C3 (Medium), and C4 (Soft).

    The Paul Ricard Circuit is quite well balanced where there is a bit of everything: fast corners and flat-out straights as well as slower and more technical sections. All of that is placing medium-severity energy loads on the tyres, which is why it makes a good test track.

    The Mistral straight – named after the famous French wind, which can also disrupt the aerodynamic balance of the cars – it also has the potential to cool the front tyres down. This can than affect the turn-in at Signes immediately afterwards, which is the most demanding corner of the entire circuit.

    Going off track is definitely a no no , the distinct red, white and blue tricolour markings contain a high-friction material which is designed to slow cars down quickly but with high risk to flat spot the tyres.

    Last year’s winning strategy was a two-stopper from Verstappen. It was a gamble as he was the only front runner to stop twice, with those behind stopping once, but it paid off in the end.

    This year’s French Grand Prix takes place nearly a month later than it did last year, when it rained on Sunday morning, so it’s fair to expect warmer temperatures. This year’s generation of tyres and compounds is different and more resistant to overheating than the 13-inch versions used last year, so we’ll have to see how that affects the strategy. A bit of history: Paul Ricard was actually where our 18-inch tyres for the current era made their debut, at a test with Renault and Sergey Sirotkin back in 2019.

    Mario Isla, Motorsport Director

    Formula 2-

    F2 will be back racing in France this weekend, the first time since 2019. The hard and soft tyres have been nominated for this weekend. This combination has already been seen in four of the previous eight rounds, most recently at Silverstone.

  • Penalty points

    As we are halfway through the 2022 season already, lets take a look at penalty points and see who is the closest to getting a race ban…

    Formula 1’s penalty points system is designed to keep the drivers’ behaviour on track in check. The points are issued for driver transgressions, with the amount varying on the severity of the incident. 12 points over the course of a 12 month period will see the driver have one race ban.

    Seven points-

    Max Verstappen

    • Two points: Expires 12 September 2022. Collision with Lewis Hamilton during the 2021 Italian GP.
    • Two points: Expires 21st November 2022. Ignoring double yellow flag during qualifying at the 2021 Qatar GP.
    • One points: Expires 5th December 2022. Leaving the track and gaining an advantage during the 2021 Saudi Arabian GP.
    • Two points: Expires 5th December 2022. Causing a collision with Hamilton during the 2021 Saudi Arabian GP.

    Pierre Gasly

    • Two points: Expires 12th September 2022. Causing a collision with Fernando Alonso during the 2021 Turkish GP.
    • Two points: Expires 22nd May 2023. Causing a collision with Stroll during the 2022 Spanish GP.
    • Two points: Expires 10th July 2023. Causing a collision with Vettel at the 2022 Austrian GP.
    • One point: Expires 10th July 2023. Track limits during the Austrian GP.

    Lance Stroll

    • Two points: Expires 1st August 2022. Causing a collision at the 2021 Hungarian GP.
    • Two points: Expires 26th September 2022. Causing a collision with Pierre Gasly at the 2021 Russian GP.
    • Two points: Expires 10th April 2023. Causing a collision with Latifi at the Australian GP.
    • One point: Expires 10th April 2023. Weaving whilst defending during the 2022 Australian GP.

    Six Points-

    Fernando Alonso

    • Two points: Expires 10th October 2022. Causing a collision with Schumacher during the 2021 Turkish GP.
    • Two points: Expires 8th May 2023. Causing a collision with Gasly during the 2022 Miami GP.
    • One point: Expires 8th May 2023. Cutting the track and gaining an advantage at Miami GP.
    • One point: Expires 19th June 2023. Weaving whilst defending at the Canadian GP.

    Alex Albon

    • Two points: Expires 6th March 2023. Causing a collision with Stroll during the 2022 Saudi Arabian GP.
    • One point: Expires 22nd May 2023. Exceeding track limits during Spanish GP.
    • One point: Expires 29th May 2023. Gaining a lasting advantage by leaving the track during the 2022 Monaco GP.
    • Two points: Expires 9th July 2023. For forcing Lando Norris off track at the 2022 Austrian GP.

    Yuki Tsunoda

    • Two points: Expires 14th November 2022. Causing a collision with Stroll during the 2021 Brazilian GP.
    • Two points: Expires 5th December 2022. Causing a collision with Vettel during the 2021 Saudi Arabian GP.
    • Two points: Expires 3rd July 2023. Causing a collision with Pierre Gasly during the 2022 British GP.

    Four points-

    Esteban Ocon

    • One point: Expires 12th September 2022. Causing a collision with Vettel during the Italian GP 2021.
    • Two points: Expires 20th March 2023. Causing a collision with Schumacher during the 2022 Bahrain GP.
    • One point: Expires 29th May 2023. Causing a collision with Hamilton during the 2022 Monaco GP.

    Three points-

    Valtteri Bottas

    • Two points: Expires 1st August 2022. Causing a collision at the 2021 Hungarian GP.
    • One point: Expires 21st November 2022. Failing to slow for a yellow flag at the 2021 Qatar GP.

    Two points-

    George Russell

    • Two points: Expires 10th July 2023. Causing a collision with Sergio Perez during the 2022 Austrian GP.

    Daniel Ricciardo

    • One point: Expires 25th March 2023. Impeding Esteban Ocon at the Saudi Arabian GP.
    • One point: Expires 8th May 2023. Gaining a lasting advantage by leaving the track during the Miami GP.

    Kevin Magnussen

    • Two points: Expires 8th May 2023. Causing a collision with Stroll during the 2022 Miami GP.

    Zhou Guanyu

    • One point: Expires 26th March 2023. Gaining a lasting advantage by leaving the track during the 2022 Saudi Arabian GP.
    • One point: Expires 10th July 2023. Exceeding track limits.

    One point-

    Sergio Perez

    • One point: Expires 12th September 2022. Overtaking by going off track at the 2021 Italian GP.

    Lando Norris

    • One point: Expires 10th July 2023. Exceeding track limits during the 2022 Austrain GP.

    Sebastian Vettel

    • One point: Expires 10th July 2023. Exceeding track limits at the 2022 Austrian GP.

    Nicholas Latifi

    • One point: Expires 12th June 2023. Ignoring blue flags during the 2022 Azerbaijan GP.

    Zero points-

    Charles Leclerc

    Lewis Hamilton

    Carlos Sainz

    Mick Schumacher

  • Beckmann replaces Hughes

    Van Amersfoort Racing took to social media to announce that Jake Hughes will not be racing the next two rounds due to having a positive covid test. David Beckmann will be replacing him for the double header in France and Hungary.

    As France and Hungary are consecutive race weekends, Hughes won’t be able to recover in time and will miss both rounds.

    After finishing sixth in Formula 3 in 2020, Beckmann has yet to compete in a full season of Formula 2, budget issues saw him dropped by Charouz halfway through the 2021 season, despite taking two podiums for the team.

    These rounds will be Beckmann’s third and fourth this season, having already been a stand-in already this season. In Imola, he replaced Cem Bolukbasi after his injury in the previous round. Then Beckmann took Amaury Cordeels spot, as he had to serve a race ban after acquiring 12 penalty points on his license.

    Beckmann has managed to grab points already this season, but another four points could easily bump him up to 19th in the standings, which is very impressive considering he’ll have only competed in four out of ten rounds.

    Also still driving as a substitute for the next two rounds in Roberto Merhi, who is replacing Ralph Boschung until he recovers from his neck injury.

    Wishing Jake Hughes well and we will see him back on the grid soon!

  • Round 12- NYC E-Prix

    Free Practice 3-

    Red Hook had received more rain overnight after yesterday afternoon’s weather-hit Round 11. The Brooklyn Street Circuit was wet-dry for much of the session but was mainly clear of standing water, with only damp patches on the asphalt.

    Temperatures were cool but the track came to the drivers as they fired in their 250kW full power runs towards the end of the running, with Sam Bird firing in the quickest time of the session by some distance on a 1m 08.745s, until round 11 winner, Cassidy went within one tenth of a second after the team’s overnight rebuild job following the heavy shunt that occurred and ended Round 11 early.

    The full top 10 are: P1: Bird, P2: Cassidy, P3: Di Grassi, P4: Da Costa, P5: Dennis, P6: Evans, P7: Frijns, P8: Lotterer, P9: Rowland and P10: Wehrelin.

    Qualifying-

    Nick Cassidy sealed a second Julius Baer Pole Position, with the New Zealender set to start from the front row for Round 12.

    The last two polesitters squared off against each other and after the first corner alone Cassidy had almost fount two tenths of a second. As the pair wound their way around Red Hook’s docklands, da Costa did reel the Envision driver in. Cassidy was able to keep it neat and tidy through the final few turns though and da Costa found himself too much to do.

    A brake-by-wire issue took standings leader Edo MOrtara out of the Groups and see him marooned right at the back in 21st. Jean-Eric Vergne, couldn’t capitalise to the fullest, clipping the wall on the way to the 13th quickest time.

    But it wasn’t meant to be for Nick Cassidy as he was hit with a penalty, and stripped of his pole position for Round 12. The battery pack and the RESS radiator were changed following Round 11, and as it is the fifth RESS radiator used this year on Cassidy’s car, he has received a 30-place penalty.

    In addition as Cassidy can only take a 21 place drop, he has been awarded a drive through penalty for the nine untaken grid places. Antonio Felix da Costa now takes pole position.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Da Costa, P2: Sims, P3: Lotterer, P4: Sette Camara, P5: Vandoorne, P6: Evans, P7: De Vries, P8: Askew, P9: Dennis and P10: Frijns.

    Round 12-

    Antonio Felix da Costa led lights to flag in the New York City E-Prix Round 12 to bring home his and DS Techeetah’s maiden win of Season 8, with Stoffel Vandoorne following in second – eating away at Edo Mortara’s points advantage at the top of the driver standings.

    The Portuguese sprinted away from Julius Baer Pole Position and fended off the attentions of Sims early on before Vandoorne applied the pressure later on in the race. However, the Mercedes-EQ driver could not find any way through, with da Costa measuring things to the flag.

    Vandoorne’s 2nd place will likely be more than enough for one of Formula E’s most consistent scorers to leave the Big Apple- with a big smile on his face, especially with Drivers’ World Championship leader Mortara only managing a point and 10th spot.

    We are back in two weeks for the London E-Prix and it is another double header and on the 30th to 31st of July! Who will be victorious in London?

  • Round 11- NYC E-Prix

    Free Practice 1-

    Stoffel Vandoorne hit the ground running in New York City with the fastest time in Free Practice 1 at the Brooklyn Street Circuit in Red Hook.

    The Mercedes-EQ driver set a 1m 09.836s, some three tenths quicker than Sergio Sette Camara. Vandoorne is looking to recover following a recovery drive to eighth position last time out in Marrakesh whilst the rest of the top four in the Drivers’ running scored well. Oliver Rowland (Mahindra Racing) rounded third in the practice session.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Vandoorne, P2: Sette Camara, P3: Rowland, P4: Bird, P5: Mortara, P6: Wehrlein, P7: Da Costa, P8: De Vries, P9: Gunther and P10: Dennis.

    Free Practice 2-

    Antonio Felix da Costa was the one to set the pace in Free Practice 2 with a 1m 08.684s lap, two tenths up the road from Jaguar TCS Racing’s Mitch Evans and Jake Dennis.

    The DS Techeetah driver made the most of improving track conditions after Friday’s dusty start to fire his car to the top. Evans was best of the Drivers’ World Championship top four with standings leader Edo Mortara down in ninth spot and fellow challenger Stoffel Vandoorne, one spot ahead in eighth.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Costa, P2: Evans, P3: Dennis, P4: Wehrlein, P5: Frijns, P6: Vergne, P7: Lotterer, P8: Vandoorne, P9: Mortara and P10: Giovinazzi.

    Qualifying-

    Nick Cassidy, Envision Racing, sneaked Julius Baer Pole Position for the NYC E-Prix Round 11 by just 0.008s from Stoffel Vandoorne, with the race teed up to cause a stir in the title battle.

    Cassidy danced the car around a drying track following the earlier rain during the Group B running. The New Zealender and Vandoorne couldn’t be spilt around the whole lap, with the advantage heading one way then the next over the final duel. But the Envision Racing driver did enough to seal his third pole position in Formula E.

    Current standings leader, Edo Mortara had failed to make it through the Groups but his 11 point lead in the championship remains intact after Vandoorne failed to bag those three bonus points for pole. But it could have been worse for Mortara, were it not for the weather that arrived midway through Group B.

    Fellow title challengers Jean-Eric Vergne and Mitch Evans were caught out by the conditions, having failed to set a banker lap of note before the drizzle became rain and a faster lap than those that had come before went out of the window.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Cassidy, P2: Vandoorne, P3: Di Grassi, P4: Wehrelin, P5: Buemi, P6: Sims, P7: Frijns, P8: Bird, P9: Mortara and P10: Da Costa.

    Round 11-

    Nick Cassidy took a maiden Formula E race win in a rain-hit New York City fro Round 11, heading home Lucas di Grassi and teammate Robin Frijns.

    Julius Baer Polesitter, Cassidy had produced the goods throughout to lead from the front through both Attack Mode activations, with di Grassi and Frijns applying the pressure behind as the race headed towards its conclusion – the pair having deposed Vandoorne from second on Lap 27 as the points race twisted and turned.

    Standings leader Edo Mortara had also worked his way up to fifth with a late second Attack Mode – the ROKiT Venturi Racing driver having missed out on the Duels in qualifying, starting ninth.

    Into the final 10 minutes plus one lap of the race and the heavens opened, with heavy rain buffeting the Brooklyn Street Circuit out of nowhere, leaving pools of standing water in the braking zone to Turn 6.

    A full course yellow was called by Cassidy, di Grassi and Vandoorne – as well as Mortara couldn’t help but aquaplane straight on and into the wall. A number of other drivers fell foul in impossible conditions as the race was brought to an early conclusion with a red flag.

    On count back, the results were taken as of the lap prior to the one in which the stoppage was called, as per article 41.9 of the regulations.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Cassidy, P2: Di Grassi, P3: Frijns, P4: Vandoorne, P5: Buemi, P6: Wehrelin, P7: Bird, P8: De Vries, P9: Mortara and P10: Dennis.

  • Ricciardo speaks out

    Daniel Ricciardo has addressed speculation surrounding his future in Formula 1, confirming that he will be remaining on the grid until the end of 2023 and fulfilling the full duration of his McLaren contract.

    Rumous have been flying around about whether or not his (Ricciardo) stay at McLaren would carry on beyond the end of the season with CEO Zak Brown, previously confirming there were mechanisms within his contract that could allow for an early exit from his deal.

    The McLaren team, has most recently signed current IndyCar Champion, Alex Palou to its racing roster, with fellow young Indy talents Colton Herta and Pato O’Ward having also tested McLaren machinery since the end of last year.

    Daniel, however has kept his mindset focused at the job at hand at McLaren, where he has struggled alongside Lando Norris so far this year – having scored 17 points compared to 64 for his team-mate and often being out performed by the young Briton, despite winning the Italian Grand Prix last year.

    There have been a lot of rumours around my future in Formula 1, but I want you to hear it from me. I am committed to McLaren until the end of next year and am not walking away from the sport. Appreciate it hasn’t always been easy, but who wants easy! I’m working my ass off with the team to make improvements and get the car right and back to the front where it belongs. I still want this more than ever. See you in Le Castellet.

    Ricciardo wrote the above on social media.

  • A look into NYC

    The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship makes a return to the Big Apple for the New York City E-Prix for Round 11 & 12 of Season 8.

    The Championship is gearing up for its fifth visit to Brooklyn’s Red Hook neighbourhood and the Brooklyn street circuit for a fifth double-header in the city.

    With only 3 race weekends left and six races, the championship is heating up. Mortara leads the Championship on 139 points, Vergne is sat in second 11 points behind. Vandoorne is in third, on 125 points, and going to be on the charge for the points he lost out on in Marrakesh.

    Looking at the teams championship ROKIT Venturi Racing lead both championships on 205 points, DS Techeetah are in 2nd on 203 point and then Mercedes in 3rd on 198.

    The Circuit-

    This weekend’s track is a favourite of the drivers, teams and fans alike, and the 2.320km, 14 turn Red Hook racetrack remains unchanged from its familiar layout.

    The circuit winds its way around the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal site in the heart of the Red Hook neighbourhood of Brooklyn. It’s a test; lined with miles of unforgiving concrete, with views across the Buttermilk Channel and over towards Lower Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty.

    circuit-map-new-york-city

    Britain’s Sam Bird, is the most successful racer around the Brooklyn Street Circuit, with three wins to his name – including a spectacular double win on Formula E’s first visit to the city.

    Times for the weekend-

    Friday 15th July-

    • Free Practice 1: 21:00pm (BST)

    Saturday 16th-

    • Free Practice 2: 12:00pm (BST)
    • Qualifying: 13:40pm
    • Round 11: 18:00pm

    Sunday 17th-

    • Free Practice 3: 12:00pm (BST)
    • Qualifying: 13:40pm
    • Round 12: 18:00pm