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  • A look into Mexico City

    A look into Mexico City

    Round 3 of the 2022 season is just a few days away, and we are in Mexico! We are returning to the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez circuit after a brief visit to Puebla last season.

    Last time we was here, we saw Mitch Evans take the win after starting 2nd, Antonio Felix da Costa finishing 2nd and Sebastian Buemi taking the last podium place, 3rd.

    But looking at the past two rounds, can Edoardo Mortara extend the lead in Championship or will both of the Mercedes be wanting to see if they can grab it of Mortara. Or maybe even Jake Dennis, he may be able to grab a few points and move up a spot or two…

    Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez Circuit-

    The arrival of Formula E came in 2016, where the street course makes use of the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez circuit, with race-ready surface and long corners. Mexico city is not only one of the fastest tracks on the Formula E calendar, as well as this its the highest too at 2,250m above sea level.

    The track layout for the E-Prix, features a mixture of long and fast straights and a technical infield section through the legendary Foro Sol stadium. Starting with the traditional start/finish straight, the Formula E grid will be go down into turn one, where its home to some late-breaking.

    After a long and fast Turn 2, the pack will make their way around Turn 3, which then breaks off left into a four turn sequence. Looping back around a hairpin, Turn 6 and 7 get technical with a straight and sharp right-hand bend (Turn 8) leading into the stadium section (Turns 9-13). The drivers then leave the stadium area, in which they will jostle for position out of the Peraltada curve in the run up to the finish line.

    Picture from Formula E website: https://www.fiaformulae.com/en/championship/race-calendar/2021-2022/mexico-city/race-info

    Times-

    Saturday 12th-

    Free Practice 1: 08:00am to 08:30am (local time), 14:00pm to 14:30pm (GMT). Free Practice 2: 09:50am to 10:20am (local time), 15:50pm to 16:20pm (GMT).

    Qualifying: 11:40am to 12:55pm (local time), 17:40pm to 18:55pm (GMT). Race: 16:04pm (local time), 22:04pm (GMT).

  • RB18

    RB18

    The RB18 is officially launched! The four-time world champions are the second team to launch their car, the RB18 will be the car Max Verstappen will drive to defend his maiden World Championship title.

    Verstappen will run the number one on his car for his defence, with his team mate Sergio Perez returning for a second season with the team.

    The car looks good, nice and clean- not too much has changed which is a known for Red Bull. I don’t know if it is because of the new car but both of the cars which have launched so far look really clean. Obviously, Honda is no longer on the car now and where it was placed on the rear wing has been replaced by ‘Red Bull’

    But one thing which stands out the most is the new title partner- Oracle. The team based in Milton Keynes, will now be officially Oracle Red Bull Racing. Building on last year’s success the team’s 2022 season will feature expanded use of Oracle Cloud across its most significant areas of operation which includes analytics-based race strategy, optimized engine development, AI and machine learning-powered driver training and a tailored fan experience.

    Speaking ahead of the new season, which he enters as the defending World Champion, Max said: “I’m feeling recharged and ready to get driving again, I feel good and it’s important that you prepare yourself in the best way possible physically, particularly when things are changing with the shakeup in regulations. In terms of the car, we don’t know what to fully expect so I’m excited to see how the car behaves on the track for the first time. The biggest adaptation this season will be the new regulations, we’ll need some time to get used to the car, it is not like you just jump in and it’s an upgrade from last year. The rest is pretty straightforward, I don’t feel any extra pressure this season, I will just do what I do all the time because I don’t think there is any reason to be different. Now I just I can’t wait for that first moment when I drive out of the pit lane in the RB18.”

    Ready to take on his second year with the team, Checo said: “I am so excited to start the new season and I cannot wait to be on track with the new RB18. All of us on the grid are starting from zero this season so it is set to be an exciting year. Last year, we gave it our all until the very last lap and we are ready to do the same in 2022. The new regulations are said to improve the competition on track, so I hope that for us as drivers we can compete more, race more and follow each other more closely. There will be a lot of things we need to learn and adapt to but these new regulations are set to make everything very interesting. One thing I can’t wait for this season is to see more fans back at the track, Formula One is growing so much all over the world so I can’t wait to feel that atmosphere again. I hope that we can give the fans great entertainment and great racing.”

  • Norris signs new four year deal

    Norris signs new four year deal

    Lando Norris and McLaren have signed a new deal together, the huge contract extension keeps the British driver with the British team until the end of 2025!

    Norris signed a long-term deal on the eve of last years Monaco Grand Prix that would keep him at McLaren for 2022 and beyond, but after a strong year together both parties moved to lengthen that arrangement with a new four-year agreement, starting this year.

    Last year was Lando’s best season to date having only been in F1 for 3 seasons so far, he grabbed four podiums, his first pole position and came agonisingly close to his first victory in Russia, he finished the season in 6th which is his career-best.

    This year himself and the team will be going in to a new era together, with their car launch being on Friday, Norris and Ricciardo will be pulling the covers of the MCL36 in Woking.

    “The opportunity to extend our relationship with Lando reflects not only our commitment but our belief and confidence in his talent,” said McLaren Team Principal Andreas Seidl. “It is also a strong sign of trust and commitment from Lando in us as a team and our journey to World Championship contention. Lando has shown impressive growth as a Formula 1 driver over the past four years and has been an instrumental part of the team’s momentum and performance trajectory,” Seidl added. “We are still on our journey to fight at the front and Lando is a key element of our plan, so to lock him into place, alongside Daniel [Ricciardo] and our senior leadership, gives us stability and continuity as we build towards our ultimate shared goal of World Championships.”

    Norris, who has been part of the McLaren family since 2017, added: “Teams are about people, and I love the people and feel at home at McLaren. I have grown up in this team and I’m part of this journey we’re all on. Last season was another great step, both in my career and the team’s performance, and I see and feel all the work, investment and commitment for the team to be in a position to challenge for wins and titles in the future. This all gives me huge confidence looking forward, so it was a natural decision to extend our relationship for the next few years.”

    My Opinion-

    I think everyone likes this!! Great news for both the driver and the British team. I’ve said it before but I say it again, Lando has a lot of trust in this team and it shows by him signing such a big deal at a young age when he delivers such good results, but with the new era of car which will soon be on track no-one knows what team or driver will place where so he has a lot of faith too.

    I wont be surprised if we see an article come out some time this year saying he has had offers from different teams. But Lando wants his first win with the team and then his first championship, so he wouldn’t be leaving any time soon.

  • Teams junior drivers part 2

    Not every team in F1 has a junior programme in place, due to money etc. Other teams piggy back of others e.g Haas obviously has Mick Schumacher as a driver but he is from the FDA.

    Williams-

    Jamie Chadwick has been apart of the Williams academy since 2019 and she has won two titles both being the W series, in 2019 and 2021. The 23 year old has also won the MRF Challenge in 2018-2019 as well as British GT Championship in 2015. It is unknown what she will be doing this year.

    Next we have Roy Nissany, who is going into his fourth Formula 2 season with DAMS. The Israeli-French driver has been Williams offical test driver for the 2020 and 2021 season, where he also has took part in FP1 sessions and the post-season test with the British team.

    Jack Aitken, is another Williams academy driver, he has been with the team since 2020.  Before this he was actually with the Renault young driver program until 2019 he was also their reserve driver. Aitken made his debut for the British team at the Sakhir Grand Prix where he stood in George Russell as Russell stood in for Lewis Hamilton due to COVID.

    Next up is Logan Sargeant. This year he will be moving up to Formula 2 for his first full season, he joined F2 last year for a weekend with HWA Racelab. In 2020 the American finished 3rd in the Formula 3 Championship.

    Last but most definitely not least is newbie, Zak O’Sullivan, the Brit is moving up to Formula 3 this year after winning the GB3 Championship and has just been awarded the Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Award for 2021.

    Red Bull-

    Juri Vips, has been apart of the Red Bull junior programme since 2018. In 2020 he joined Formula 2 to replace injured DAMS driver, Sean Gelael. In 2021 he then done his first full campaign with HiTech Grand Prix, he will be returning to Formula 2 this year with the same team for his second season. Also in 2020 he served as the Red Bull and Alpha Tauri reserve at the Turkish, Bahrain, Sakhir and Abu Dhabi GP’s. He has took part in two end of season young driver test both being with Red Bull in 2020 and 2021.

    Jonny Edgar, is defintley a name to remeber and one I have mentioned before. His been with the junior team for quite some time and its understandable why his stayed their for so long. He won the ADAC Formula 4 Championship, and is about to go into his 2nd season of Formula 3 Championship.

    Dennis Hauger, the popular Norwegian who has just won the Formula 3 Championship and now going on to battle the Formula 2 Championship with Prema. Since being with the junior team he has also won the Italian F4 Championship.

    Liam Lawson, is going into his second season in Formula 2 after switching out HiTech for Carlin. The popular Kiwi never does things in half, last year he competed in DTM where he finished 2nd overall. In 2020 he competed in F3 where he finished 5th overall, as well as Toyota Racing Series where he finished 2nd.

    Jehan Daruvala is reuniting with Prema this season to take on his 3rd season of Formula 2 last season saw him finish 7th overall with Carlin. He also competed in F3 Asian Championship with Mumbai Falcons India Racing, he finished 3rd overall, with 3 wins, 3 poles, and 8 podiums.

    Jak Crawford, has been with the junior team since 2020 and in that year he competed in ADAC Formula 4 where he finished 2nd overall and Italian F4 finishing 6th. 2021 saw him compete in his rookie campaign in Formula 3 and Euroformula Open and in the latter he finished 3rd overall. This year he is competing in his second season in Formula 3 but has made the switch to Prema.

    At the beginning of last year, Ayumu Iwasa was announced as a Red Bull junior. He competed in Formula 3 where he finished 12th overall as well as F3 Asian Championship where he finished 3rd. This year will see him step up to Formula 2 for his rookie season.

    Next up, we have two newbies who have joined the programme this year, Isack Hadjar who will be competing in Formula 3 for his rookie campaign and Yuto Nomura who will be competing in French F4.

    Ferrari-

    Starting off with Callum Ilott, he technically isn’t with the Ferrari Driver Academy this year but had a 4 year stint with the Italian team from 2017 to 2021. Due to him being in IndyCar this year, the Academy does not support that series.

    Robert Shwartzman at the moment is not competing in a series this year yet, after he finished runner up to Oscar Piastri in Formula 2 last year. He will be Scuderia Ferrari’s Test Driver for the upcoming season.

    Mick Schumacher, won the Formula 2 Championship in 2020, and now is going into his second season as a Formula One driver with Haas.

    Arthur Leclerc is next up on the list, the Monagasque is going into his second season in Formula 3, in hopes to fight for the title. He is also currently competing in the Formula Regional Asian Championship which he is currently leading.

    Dino Beganovic, will be going on to his third season in single seaters, where he is currently competing in Formula Regional Asian Championship and also Formula Regional European Champion.

    James Wharton, has only been with the FDA for a year, he continued to race in karts in 2021 before training in Formula 4 single-seaters. Which goes on to what he will be doing this year, he will be competing in Formula 4 UAE Championship and Italian F4 Championship.

    Maya Weug, is the first female driver to join the FDA. In 2021 she stepped up to Italian F4 Championship, she will be competing in the same series again this year.

    Oliver Bearman, is new to the FDA after winning both Italian F4 Championship and ADAC Formula 4 Championships in 2021. This year will see him step up to the Formula 3 Championship for his rookie season.

    Rafael Camara is another newbie to the FDA, he will be competing in Formula 4 UAE Championship and Italian F4 Championship. Laura Camps Torras, is new to the Italian team as well, at the moment she has only raced in karts and will continue to do this year. However, she will take part in several tests at the wheel of a Formula 4 car to learn about single seaters in preparation for a debut.

    Alpine-

    Christian Lundgaard, has been apart of the Alpine academy since 2017. Since being with them he secured the SMP F4 Championship and F4 Spanish Championship. This year will see him race in IndyCar.

    Caio Collet, was racing in Formula 3 last season. It is yet to be announced in what he will be doing this year he may return to F3 for a second season.

    Oscar Piastri, the back to back to back champion, winning the Formula Renault Eurocup, Formula 3 Championship and Formula 2 Championship in a row. This year will see him take a back seat and officially be Alpine’s reserve driver for 2022.

    Victor Martins, will be going into his fourth year with the academy. Last year saw him compete in Formula 3 where he finished 5th overall, it is still undecided what he is doing this year aswell.

  • 15.02.22

    The last date for car reveal has been announced, this being Williams. The team from Grove will be showing the world their car on the 15th February, a week today with an online event at 1pm GMT.

    The team, which was sold by the Williams family to Dorilton Capital in the 2020 season, has previously indicated it will retain the traditional naming convention for its cars. The 2022 car is yet to be named.

    This year will see Nicholas Latifi in his third season with the British team. Following George Russell’s departure to Mercedes, former Red Bull driver Alex Albon will be returning to F1 after a year out will be taking the other spot at Williams.

    Heavily-revised regulations are sweeping through the sport for the 2022 campaign, which means that combined with the budget cap there is opportunity for teams like Williams to take a sizeable step forward from their efforts last season where they finished 8th overall with 23 points.

  • Envision and Jaguar join forces

    Envision Racing is set to run Jaguar powertrains ahead of the introduction of Formula E’s Gen3 regulations for the 2022-23 season on a multi-year deal. The announcement comes as the interest in Formula E is at an all time high with a record-breaking global TV audiences in Season 7 increasing its cumulative audience to more than 300 million. Combined with an expanding race calendar, new manufacturer in Maserati, the team also generating record commercial revenues.

    The British team has been an Audi customer since the beginning of Formula E’s Gen2 regulations were enforced for the 2018-19 season, after it lost out its partnership to the Techeetah team. With Audi’s departure prior to the start of the current season, this left Envision needing to find a new supplier ahead of the switch to Gen3.

    Together the two teams have amassed 15 wins and more than 40 podiums between them so collaborating and sharing technical expertise from both camps is set to be a winning formula.

    This will be the first time that Jaguar is supplying to a customer Formula E team since its entry into the championship in 2016, as it seeks to expand upon its development of the new powertrain layout with two sets of data.

    Sylvain Filippi, Managing Director and CTO at Envision Racing said: “Jaguar and their factory team have been one of our fiercest competitors in Formula E since they joined the Championship in 2016. The team’s advanced powertrain technology and overall commitment to its Formula E programme made them the most attractive option to us. Formula E is one of the fastest growing sports in the world, inspiring and exciting the next generation of motorsport fans in cities across the globe. But more exciting is the fact it is arguably the most collaborative sport in the world because we recognise the role that we can play in solving one of the biggest problems of our time in the race against climate change.”

    James Barclay, Managing Director at Jaguar Land Rover Motorsport: “I am proud to announce that we will supply Envision Racing with our Jaguar powertrain in Gen3. They are one of the most competitive teams in Formula E and it’s an honour that they were set on using our powertrain technology in this new era of FIA Formula E. We look forward to working and achieving further successes together in the future. I have a huge amount of respect for Sylvain and his team – they are the perfect fit for Jaguar. We are both fully committed to Formula E. The Gen3 era of racing is going to push the boundaries of electric vehicle technology in a high-performance racing environment. Envision Racing will be able to optimise their own software for the powertrain so we remain rivals on track. However, we race to innovate together and I’m excited to see four Jaguar powered Formula E racecars line up on the grid alongside each other next season.”

    My Opinion-

    What a partnership this is!! We all knew Envision was looking for a new partnership due to Audi leaving, and this is a brilliant one. The partnership between the two is definitley one to watch out for in the future especially with the introduction of the Gen3 era coming in.

  • Frederick signs with HiTech

    Kaylen Frederick has signed with HiTech Grand Prix for his second season of Formula 3, eh will be joining Red Bull junior Isack Hadjar at the Silverstone based squad.

    Frederick spent his first season with Carlin, only making the points once with a ninth-place finish at the Red Bull Ring, however he then missed the following two rounds of the season due to injury and illness. Returning for the final two rounds of 2021, Frederick came close to scoring points on two occasions but narrowly missing out.

    The American, spent all three days of testing with HiTech, where he punched in four top 10 times out of six sessions.

    The 19 year olds single seater career started back in America, with stints in the F1600 Championship Series and the U.S F200 National Championship before he made a full time move to European racing in 2019, competing for Carlin in the BRDC British F3.

    Finishing ninth in his rookie year, the American remained in the Championship for a second season where he took the title with nine wins and 12 podiums from 24 races.

    “I am thrilled to race with Hitech GP for the 2022 FIA F3 season,” said Frederick. “Hitech have an established presence among many championships and a solid platform to build for success. We had a strong post-season test in Valencia and have continued to develop our working relationship. The entire team has been helpful in getting me acclimated to the new environment, so I am feeling super comfortable and confident heading into this year. I also would like to thank Pilot ONE Racing for their long-standing support which has allowed us to realize this great opportunity together. We have a great foundation under us with which to show our abilities. The season has an exciting calendar so I can’t wait to get started.”

    Hitech General Manager Jay Davenport added: “We are really pleased to have Kaylen join us for the 2022 season, he produced a strong performance driving a Hitech car at the Valencia test at the end of last season and we are eager to see him carry this form over into the coming race season. We have been working hard over the winter break fine-tuning our cars and our approach and we are keen to get back to business on track in Bahrain next month.”

  • Colapinto completes VAR’s line-up

    Van Amersfoort Racing have confirmed their final spot by signing Franco Colapinto for the 2022 season he will be along side, Rafael Villagomez and Reece Ushijima.

    The 18 year old will step up on the back of a busy season, where he took on single-seater and LMP2 racing. He finished sixth in Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine, as well as making appearances in the European and Asian LeMans Series and the FIA World Endurance Championship.

    The Buenos Aires born racer made his Formula 3 debut at the post-season test in which he was the fastest on track on the second day.

    He first made his single-seater debut in the final round of the Spanish Formula 4 Championship in 2018 winning the last of four races, which resulted in stepping up full-time in 2019 where he dominated the series, winning 11 times and taking 14 podiums overall.

    He then spent 2020 competing in Formula Renault Eurocup and the Toyota Racing Series, where he placed third in both before moving to Formula Regional in 2021.

    “I really enjoyed my first time in the F3 car,” said Colapinto. “It is obviously way more powerful than the FRECA car, but at the same time has surprisingly similar driving characteristics to the LMP2 car; fast and loads of downforce. A significant difference to the LMP2 class will of course be tyre management, but I like that intelligent part of racing. I really look forward to teaming up with Van Amersfoort Racing as they have such a strong history. They take their return to the FIA F3 championship extremely serious, and I am really excited to be part of that journey. The crew is motivated and an absolute pleasure to work with. Pre-season testing at Bahrain is just around the corner and I can’t wait for it to start!”

    VAR CEO Rob Niessink said: “We are excited to have Franco on board for our debut season in FIA F3. Looking at his career so far, he has shown to not only possess a good portion of raw talent, but that he also has the capability to quickly adapt to circumstances. We had our eye on him already as a potential candidate, which was reinforced after seeing him perform during the post-season test at Valencia, early November last year. We have thoroughly structured our F3 team over the winter period and are more than ready to hit the track early March in Bahrain.”

    My Opinion-

    This is a good move in my opinion, his definitely talented enough to be in Formula 3 so it will be interesting to see how he can fully adapt to a full F3 season than just the post-seaon test, but he how’s promise.

  • VF22

    Haas are the first to show their 2022 livery with a series of digital renderings showcasing the car, VF22. The livery is an evolution of last years predominantly white design, as has been the case in previous years Haas will unveil the physical car in the Barcelona pit lane on the first morning of pre-season running.

    It is known that the car will noticeably look a little different to what the digital renderings show, with the teams keen to keep significant parts of their design quiet for as long as possible and to stop other teams to take away their clever ideas.

    Having dropped towards the back of the field in 2020, Haas decided not to develop their 2021 car in favour of putting 100% their resources on the 2022 car in a bid to return to the midfield. The VF-22 is the seventh Haas car, and the first to emerge from the American teams new design office in Maranello, led by Simone Resta the Technical Director.

    To promote closer racing the FIA and F1 rewrote the rules, with the new cars featuring a ground effect floor, simplified front wing and dramatic rear wing plus the new Pirelli 18 inch tyres.

    Haas were the only team last year not to score any points with two rookies at the wheel, Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin.

    “It’s that time of year where you’re naturally optimistic that the hard work and effort of everyone will translate to a competitive entry on track,” said owner Gene Haas. “We made the decision back in 2020 to really channel time and resources into the VF-22, foregoing anything track-related for 2021 – which wasn’t easy to watch. Hopefully that decision bears fruit and we return to challenging for points and taking something from the weekends.”

    Team Principal Guenther Steiner added: “We all know what the team is capable of, we’ve proved that in the past, and with this new car – born out of a completely new set of regulations and with our new design team in place – I’m confident we can showcase once again that we can compete on weekends. It’s been a tremendous effort by everyone involved and now comes the fun part of getting the new car to the circuit and dialling in all the elements. Last season was a long one but I’m confident that 2022 will see us back in the mix with the VF-22.”

    Resta said: “This is probably the most complex project the Uralkali Haas F1 Team has dealt with to-date for many reasons. It’s a completely new set of regulations and this season we’ve brought in a new team to manage the creation of the VF-22. Not everyone is new but a good chunk of people have joined with a revised structure now in place. I consider this as a great success in the process. We’re still early in the project and going through a transitional season of working together on a car for a full year, but if we look back where we started, this team is already a success.”

    My Opinion-

    In regards to the livery, it actually looks a lot cleaner than last year but it keeps the 3 main colours on their, blue, red and white. Now onto the actual car, hopefully this car will see the drivers score some points and be in more battles up the grid.

  • 09.02.22

    Red Bull have announced when they will be realising their car for this season, the RB18 which is on the 9th February, nine days before rivals Mercedes launch their W13.

    Max Verstappen will be hoping the new car will be worthy of defending for the world title- in hopes of going for a second. Sergio Perez will be wanting to fight for the title too, but will also be wanting to help RB get the Constructors title.

    Honda, decided to leave the sport at the end of 2021, so the newly established Red Bull Powertrains will oversee the RB18’s power unit for 2022- although following a deal made towards the end of the last season, that power unit will use the Honda intellectual property.

    We now only have one more date remaining and that being the team of Williams.

  • 04.02.22

    Haas have announced when they will show their livery for 2022, that being tomorrow at 11am!

    The North Carolina team will give fans the first look of their 2022 colours ahead of pre-season testing on February 23rd at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

    The VF-22 has had high input from Technical Director, Simone Resta who joined from Ferrari in time to help develop the car for the new regulations. They also acquired some additional Ferrari personnel at the start of 2021, as the Italian team sought ways to slim down its costs to meet cost cap restrictions.

    Haas are hoping to have a better season than the previous after they scored no-points. They are hoping to work their way into at least the mid-field this season with no longer rookies Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin.

  • 27.02.22

    Another car date has been revealed and that being Alfa Romeo and they will be revealing their car, the C42 on the 27th of February.

    The team will be having an all new line-up this year with Valtteri Bottas joining from Mercedes, and F2 Graduate Guanyu Zhou joining the team for his rookie year in Formula One.

    The launch date is after Barcelona pre-season shakedown (February 23rd to 25th), this means that Alfa Romeo will be having a special livery for the shakedown in Barcelona.

    The team who are based in Switzerland have changed their name from Alfa Romeo Racing to Alfa Romeo F1 Team for 2022, as the team enters a new era.

    CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato explained the name change: “For us, adding the wording ‘F1 Team’ to our team’s name is highly significant and makes us proud: it epitomises Alfa Romeo’s commitment to the most exclusive motorsport competition there is, where this brand has written indelible pages in its history. On the other hand, it represents the team spirit of cohesion, in which Alfa Romeo intends to play a leading role. With this new team and logo, a new, exciting line-up and a new car ready to be unveiled, we are ready for an exciting new season.”

  • Yeany first full campaign, F3

    American driver, Hunter Yeany will be stepping up to compete in Formula 3 for a full-time basis driving for Campos.

    Yeany first made his debut in F3 last season with Charouz Racing System, competing in Spa-Francorchamps and Zandvoort with his highest finish being 18th.

    The move to European racing followed stints of American-based Championships Indy Pro 2000 and Formula Regional Americas last season.

    He drove for Velocity Racing Development, he took three top 10 finishes from eight races in Indy Pro 2000 and finished in the points twelve out of thirteen races he competed in Formula Regional Americas.

    The American became the youngest winner of the Formula 4 United States Championship in 2020 which was his first year of single seater racing. Yeany absolutley dominated the championship winning 7 times times and taking 14 podiums from 15 races!

    “I’m really excited to announce that I’ll be doing the full season of FIA F3 with Campos Racing,” said Yeany. “I would like to thank Campos Racing for the opportunity and my family and friends for their support.”

    Campos Racing Sporting Director Adrián Campos added: “I should like to extend a warm welcome aboard to another young driver as Hunter. Probably alongside Pepe they are the youngest drivers in the field, but we perfectly know how talented he is. We will do our utmost to help him quickly in such competitive racing series and we are sure Hunter will reach his full potential.”

    My Opinion-

    This is what I like to see! I feel like he deserves a full year, it will be interesting to see what he can do having worked with the team before the season starts and during pre-season testing.

  • Villagomez stays in F3

    Rafael Villagomez will be spending his second season of Formula 3 with Van Amersfoort Racing.

    In his rookie season with HWA Racelab, he also competed in the Euroformula Open Championship, taking five podiums with VAR to finish eight overall in the standings.

    The Mexican, only made his debut in single-seaters in 2020 but already has lots of experience, he finished 11th in British F4 and 6th in French F4, before running in the final four races of the 2020 Euroformula season.

    “Last year was certainly a learning year for me, which I knew it would be,” said Villagómez. “The move up from Formula 4 to FIA F3 was a big step, but I enjoyed every minute of it. Now I feel ready to compete at a higher level and aim for points and podium finishes. Having raced with them in Euroformula Open last year, I know Van Amersfoort Racing very well. It gives me great confidence to have them at my side, especially since I know how dedicated they are towards this program!”

    Van Amersfoort CEO Rob Niessink added: “It is always great to be able to progress with a driver into a second year. Both driver and crew have grown close together during the season and despite Rafael moving up to another category within VAR, we know him well and he knows our way of working through and through. Rafael faced a steep learning curve last year, something that was anticipated. For the upcoming season, his approach is certainly focused on scoring points and finishing on the podium. Besides the fact that our crew fully supports Rafael in every step he makes this season, he also brings along valuable F3 experience gathered last year. Clearly, we are thrilled to get this journey started and are looking forward to pre-season testing at Bahrain early March!”

    My Opinion-

    Good move for him, he already knows the Dutch team well so thats already a bonus. It will be interesting to see how he does racing wise in Formula 3 with the team.

  • Stanek makes a switch

    Trident’s line up for 2022 is now complete as they have Roman Stanek joining them he is making the switch from HiTech Grand Prix.

    The 17 year-old made his debut in Formula 3 at the start of 2020 where he joined Charouz Racing System as the youngest driver on the grid. He scored his first points in the penultimate round of the season at Monza.

    In 2021, he finished in the top 10 four times and scored two podiums finishing third both times. Ahead of F3, the Czech driver won the rookie title in ADAC Formula 4 and took fifth overall in Italian F4 with three wins and six podiums across the two.

    “I am proud to be part of the Trident Motorsport line-up as it is a leading force among F3 teams,” said Staněk. “I hope to bring in experience and speed to help the team defend its 2021 title. In my first two seasons in the FIA Formula 3 Championship, I’ve grown up constantly, and I am sure that with Trident Motorsport, we will have all the components needed to compete at a high level.”

    Trident Team Manager Giacomo Ricci added: “We are proud to welcome a racer with such outstanding qualities like Roman Staněk. Despite being only 17, Roman is in his third year in the category and will bring the right amount of experience and speed. That will allow the team to continue its winning tradition in the FIA Formula 3 Championship. Roman impressed the technical staff l during the 2021 post-season test when he was constantly among the fastest drivers on the track.”

    My Opinion-

    I think this is a good move, I think this may be his last season in F3 considering this will be his third so he will want to fight for the title.

  • Pizzi steps up to F3

    Charouz Racing System has announced the signing of Francesco Pizzi who is making the step up from Formula Regional.

    The Italian racer only made his single-seater debut in 2020, but won the UAE Formula 4 title in his first season with three poles and 10 podiums, which includes 8 wins. In the same year, he also finished second in the Italian F4 where he had three wins and a further seven podiums.

    Stepping up to the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine. Pizzi endured a more challenging campaign but still managed to score 12 points and finishing 20th overall.

    Pizzi didn’t take art in the post season test, he has run MP Motorsport’s F3 car at testing in Jerez in 2020.

    “I am obviously very excited to be joining Charouz Racing System,” said Pizzi. “I really enjoyed the work we have already done together in the last few days at the factory. This is a great opportunity for me because the team has shown that it can be the right place for a young driver. I intend to make the most of this chance while doing the best possible job for the team.”

    Charouz Team Owner Antonín Charouz added: “We’re very pleased to add another important piece to our 2022 line-up. Francesco has already demonstrated with his past results that he has excellent potential, we’re sure that he will be able right away to do his best working with all the engineers and mechanics in order to prepare for the first races and show what he can do in such a competitive championship. The beginning of the season is approaching very quickly and the whole team is already working very hard to start off on the right foot and build a season that lives up to our expectations.”

    My Opinion-

    I am quite undecided on this, I feel like maybe competing for another year in Formula Regional would of been better but I won’t write him off as anything can happen in motorsport.

  • Ushijima to drive for VAR, F3

    Van Amersfoort Racing has announced their first driver for Formula 3 and that being Reece Ushijima!

    Ushijima will be stepping up from the GB3 Championship after a title-challenging season with HiTech Grand Prix, he finished fourth overall with three poles, two wins and seven podiums.

    Not only did he compete in GB3, he also competed in the 2021 Asian Formula 3 Championship where he ended the year as the second highest-rookie in 11th place!

    The 19 year old, enjoyed a successful post-season F3 test with the team on Days 1 & 2 before he went to Campos Racing for the third day and he managed to finish 2nd overall in the afternoon session.

    Ushijima first started his karting career at 13 years old, he initially started in Japan but then moved to Europe. After four years of karting, he went on to the BRSSC Formula Ford Winter series to make his single-seater debut where he qualified on pole and finished third and second in the races.

    “To be racing with such an experienced and successful team as Van Amersfoort Racing is a great privilege,” said Ushijima. “Seeing how motivated and hardworking they were during post-season testing at Valencia has made me really excited to what we can achieve this year. It may be an uphill battle, as it is both the team’s and my first year competing in the FIA F3, but I believe we can achieve something special with our combined determination. I cannot wait to get the season started!”

    Van Amersfoort CEO Rob Niessink added: “We first worked with Reece during post-season testing at Valencia last year and he impressed us. It will be both his and our first season in this car, so for sure there is lots to be learned, but Reece’s determination excites us. His interaction with the team was impressive and he showed to be a quick learner. The level of progress he booked during the two days he tested with us is a clear indicator of his potential. We have been preparing our entry into this category to the finest detail and are absolutely thrilled to get going early next month!”

    My Opinion–

    This is a good move, definitely got the talent to be in F3 so it’ll be interesting to see how he does for the full season.

  • Round 2- Diriyah E-Prix

    Now we are onto our second round an the second race day for the Diriyah E-Prix. To start the day of we had Free Practice 3.

    It was Wehrlein who topped the time sheets for free practice, with a 1m 07.215s. Most drivers lapped around a second slower than that on Friday- the track now having been cleaned uo and rubbered in further since race one.

    Vergne followed Wehrlein by a quarter of a second back, and Rowland finishing off the top 3 spots.

    There was a shunt from Nick Cassidy which saw the session split in two with the 10 minutes lost to its recorvery added on to give the teams the full 30 minutes running.

    Now onto qualifying, it was the Championship leader who took pole position! With Edoardo Mortara just missing out by 0.005s, what a duel it was to watch!

    Sam Bird hit the wall just like Cassidy did in FP3, he bended the suspension on the Jaguar which forced him to pull out of the Group B fight and start 21st…

    A late flurry of laps saw then-provisional fastest man Dennis pushed out of the top four and the Duels by de Vries, di Grassi, Rowland and Lotterer. Mortara had set the pace for Group B with Frijns’ late flying lap good enough for second and progress further, with both DS Techeetah cars going through in third and fourth.

    The top 10 finishers for qualifying was: P1: de Vries, P2: Mortara, P3: Frijns, P4: di Grassi, P5: Lotterer, P6: Vergne, P7: Rowland, P8: da Costa,   P9: Dennis and P10: Sims.

    Now onto the race! 30 minutes into the race and it looked to be Nyck’s however Formula E doesn’t work that was unfortunatley. 

    It was in fact Eduardo Mortara who claimed victory in an intense race, with Robin Frijns in P2 and to make it a 1-3 for Venturi, di Grassi finished 3rd!

    Mortara had overtaken his team-mate at Turn 18 amid a furious battle between the front runners, he then had to hold off Frijns who swept by di Grassi on lap 29. But a late safety car came into play for Alexander Sims who hit the wall at Turn 6 and then had to come to a stop.

    But as the clock ticked past 41 minutes, there was no time added on and with a slow process of clearing up the Mahindra car their was no more racing apart from a last corner dash which didn’t change the order up.

    The top 10 are: P1: Mortara, P2: Frijns, P3: di Grassi, P4: Lotterer. P5: Dennis, P6: Vergne, P7: Vandoorne, P8: Rowland, P9: Wehrlein and P10: de Vries.

    The next race is in two weeks and we are in Mexico for Formula E’s sixth appearance!

  • Martí promoted to F3

    Martí promoted to F3

    Josep María Martí has signed for the Formula 3 2022 season for Campos Racing, being promoted from the Spanish F4 with the same team.

    The 16 year old notched up two wins and four podiums in Spanish F4 last season where he finished 3rd overall. Following on from this- Marti took part in the post-season test for F3 with Campos.

    Last season was the first season of his single seater career, after having a successful karting career.

    “I’m delighted to continue my racing career with Campos Racing for a further year,” said Marti. “We completed a very strong work in 2021 and I think it’s the right choice to step up to FIA Formula 3 with the same team. I will continue learning and improving as a racing driver. We are extremely motivated to take up the challenge and give our best throughout 2022.”

    Campos Sporting Director Adrián Campos added: “Our goal was always to have a racing team being able to open up opportunities of improving and growing as a racing driver from kart racing to the F1 feeder series. Therefore, we also joined the F4-based racing series last year. Pepe is a superb example proving this because in my opinion, he is one of the most talented racing drivers who never have competed with us. We are proud because he has chosen us to continue working together. He achieved fantastic results in F4 last year and we now have another huge challenge ahead, but we are looking forward to completing a strong 2022 season.”

    My Opinion-

    I think this is great news! Marti is a very young and talentend driver and for him to already come into Formula 3 with just one season worth of single seaters says a lot about him! I definitley think he is one to watch out for.

  • Round 1- Diriyah E-Prix

    And finally we have Formula E cars back on track! We had Free Practice 1 to start things off and for some it was good where as for others not so…

    In the first five minutes reigning champion Nyck de Vries struck the wall into Turn 3 with the rear of his Silver Arrow getting sideways and damage enough to force the Dutchman into retiring the car from the session which turned the whole course yellow.

    The track condition at Riyadh Street Circuit is always tough to manage during the opening session, the track evolves and gets faster as it cleans up. As conditions started to come to the drivers, Nissan e.dams new boy Maximillian Guenther set the target for the rest to chase mid-way through FP1. But it was Mahindra Racing’s new signing Oliver Rowland who hit the top of the timesheets at the end, with a 1m 10.559s, with Antonio Felix da Costa in 2nd and Jake Dennis in third.

    Going on to the second free practice session, it was Oliver Rowland again who took the top spot with Sam Bird whose won twice in Saudi Arabia was in 2nd by just 0.015. Third was Jake Dennis again making it an all British top 3.

    Rowland’s time was just over a second quicker than the times on Thursday due to the track. However it was the reigning champs who were down the order, with Stoffel Vandoorne 16th and Nyck a couple of spots back.

    Now onto qualifying- the new format for all the drivers but it was infact Mercedes’ Stoffel Vandoorne who took pole position. The final duel was between Stoffel and Jake (Dennis), Dennis originally flew off the line but his Andretti looked a lot looser than the Mercedes, and by the half-way point of the lap the Belgian had romped four tenths of a second clear.

    The top for qualifying are: P1: Vandoorne, P2: Dennis, P3: De Vries, P4: Lotterer, P5: Bird, P6: Cassidy, P7:Frijns, P8: Oliver Rowland, P9: Di Grassi, P10: Gunther.

    Now onto the race! It was the reigning champion taking the first race win of the season just like last year! And his team-mate bringing it home in second making the Mercedes EQ team have a 1-2!! What a way to start the season. The last podium spot going to Jake Dennis.

    The last couple of laps saw 4 drivers all battling for fourth position which involved Sam Bird, Lucas Di Grassi, Edoardo Mortara and Nick Cassidy. With Sam Bird making that fourth position.

  • Singapore GP renewed

    Singapore GP renewed

    The Singapore Grand Prix will continue to be held at the Marina Bay Street Circuit after they managed to agree a new contract for 7 years, F1 will continue travelling to Singapore from 2022 to 2028.

    The last time we was at Singapore was back in 2019 where we saw Sebastian Vettel be victorious for the Italian team! But we finally are returning this year.

    Sustainability is set to feature prominently in future races. Meanwhile Singapore GP Pte (SGP) and the Singapore Tourism board (STB) are working together to reduce the carbon footprint of the Singapore race as a part of the transition to more sustainable business models and to be in line with Formula One’s sustainability goals.

    “I am delighted that Formula 1 will continue to race in Singapore for another seven years,” said Formula 1 President and CEO Stefano Domenicali. The Marina Bay Street Circuit hosted the first night race in F1 history in 2008, and Singapore has continued to thrill fans, teams, and drivers ever since. Singapore holds a special place on the F1 calendar, and this extension is part of our long-term commitment to continue to grow the sport in Asia.”

    Singapore GP’s Chairman Mr Ong Beng Seng added: “We are very pleased that the night race will continue for seven more years. After more than a decade of celebrating this spectacular event on the racing calendar, we are looking forward to building on its success and working with Formula 1 as well as its partners to take the night race to greater heights. We are delighted that this marquee event will demonstrate how Singapore is open for business. We look forward to welcoming both local and overseas fans and visitors to the Marina Bay Street Circuit once again.”

    My Opinion-

    I am personally happy for this track to stay on the calendar, I think it’s been missed the past couple of years due to covid and now it’s returning this year (hopefully) it will allow new drivers/fans understand the hype about the track.

    I also think it’s good that the track and country want to help with carbon footprint and for F1 to become a more sustainable sport.

  • 21.02.22

    Alpine have announced their launch date for the A522, with it being on the 21st February.

    The covers will come off two days before the first pre-season test, at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

    The A522 is going to be driven by world champ Fernando Alonso and race winner Esteban Ocon with 2022 being their second season together!

    Ocon got the honour to take the first win of newly named Alpine outfit, as Renault was renamed in 2021.

    Alpine will be wanting to improve on their finish last year, P5 in the constructors. But will they be able to achieve this or better this year as executive director Marcin Budkowski and four-time champion Alain Prost have departed the team this month.

  • 14.02.22

    Alpha Tauri have announced the date for their car reveal and that will be on the 14th February.

    The AT03 is set to be piloted by Red Bull Juniors, Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda. The sister team of Red Bull was the fifth team to confirm their date for the world to see.

    2022 will see Alpha Tauri use power units from Red Bull Powertrains for the very first time, after Honda departed from the sport at the end of last season.

    This season should be a pretty big year for Alpha Tauri, partly because of the new power units- but also because Pierre Gasly has just come off an impressive season, and his team-mate will be going into his second season in the sport and hopefully be wanting to be build on last year!

    https://www.instagram.com/reel/CZMUChslJKm/?utm_medium=copy_link
  • A look into Saudi Arabia

    A look into Saudi Arabia

    For the first time this year it is race week for Formula E! Friday and Saturday we will have round 1 and 2, a double header in Saudi Arabia for the Diriyah E-Prix.

    Diriyah Circuit-

    The Diriyah Circuit has 21 twists and turns around the historic town walls of the UNESCO World Heritage site in the desert. The drivers will face a very challenging lap from as soon as the lights go green as they have a technical first sector which leads into a bobsleigh run at Turn 6.

    The circuit layout is a test of strategy with a long energy straight which closes out the lap. The race is run in the dark being illuminated by LEDs lining the circuit.

    RIYADH STREET CIRCUIT, SAUDI ARABIA – FEBRUARY 26: Aerial drone footage of the Riyadh Street Circuit during the Diriyah ePrix I at Riyadh Street Circuit on Friday February 26, 2021 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Sam Bagnall / LAT Images)

    Last year saw Nyck De Vries win round 1 and Sam Bird win Round 2 at Diriyah. Will they be victorious again? Or could we see someone else?

    Will Mercedes EQ be able to start the ground running and get away in both title fights, as they and Nyck de Vries will be hoping to challenge for the Drivers and Teams championship!

    Times-

    Thursday 27th-

    Free Practice 1: 18:00pm to 18:30pm, 15:00pm to 15:30pm (GMT)

    Friday 28th-

    Free Practice 2: 13:30pm to 14:00pm (AST), 10:30am to 11:00am (GMT)

    Qualifying: 15:40pm to 17:00pm (AST), 12:40pm to 14:00pm (GMT)

    Round 1: 20:00pm to 21:00pm (AST), 17:00pm to 18:00pm (GMT)

    Saturday 29th-

    Free Practice 3: 13:30pm to 14:00pm (AST), 10:30am to 11:00am (GMT)

    Qualifying: 15:40pm to 17:00pm (AST), 12:40pm to 14:00pm (GMT)

    Round 2: 20:00pm to 21:00pm (AST), 17:00pm to 18:00pm (GMT).

  • F1 confirms testing dates

    F1 confirms testing dates

    Formula One has confirmed the dates for pre-season testing for 2022. The build up for the season has started already with teams announcing the car launches dates for February.

    Two sessions of three days each will be taking place ahead of the 23 race F1 campaign to enter a new era.

    Barcelona– February 23rd to 25th

    The first test of the year is more low-key than the official test. This test in Barcelona allows the team to shake down their all new 2022 cars for the first time.

    However, as is traditional with teams pre-testing-type events, the running at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya won’t feature live coverage.

    It will include content and the best lap times at the end of each day of running.

    Bahrain- March 10th to 12th

    The Bahrain testing will be the Official Pre-Season Test ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix on the weekend of March 18th to 20th.

    This testing will be shown live with fan attendance. It will be shown on TV with live timings.

    To keep up to date with all the coverage from both tests you can find on F1.com

  • László Tóth stays in F3

    László Tóth stays in F3

    Lászlo Tóth has singed on the dotted line to stay in Formula 3 but he is switching teams however… He will be joining Charouz Racing System after being with Campos Racing last year.

    Like many, Tóth began his career in karting, before he made the step-up to single-seaters. He has gained experience in the Italian, Spanish and ADAC F4.

    The 21 year old competed in the 2019 FIA Motorsport games where he achieved the best results of the Hungarian delegation in the Formula 4 cup with fourth and seventh. In 2020, he moved to Formula Renault Eurocup where his best finish was seventh and then moved to Formula 3 from there…

    “I’m very happy to start working together with this team,” said Tóth. “Last week I was already in Prague, met the team members and started preparations with the sim. The circumstances are very good and there is a high potential in the team so I hope that we will have a successful season”

    Team Owner Antonín Charouz added: “We’re very happy to welcome László to Charouz Racing System, he’s a young and promising driver who’s already covered a notable mileage at the wheel of Formula 4 and Formula 3 cars in the past few years and I’m confident that his experience will be helpful for all of us all along next season. I’m sure it will be no problem for him to find the best way to work together with the team and get up to speed straight away from the first test sessions”

    My Opinion-

    I think this is a good choice for him, he didn’t have the best season. It’ll be good for him to get this year as more experience and hopefully some points finishes.

  • Maloney to make debut in F3

    Maloney to make debut in F3

    Another seat has gone for Formula 3, this one going to Zane Maloney who will be joining champions Trident for the 2022 season!

    Maloney took the British Formula 4 title back in 2019 making him the first driver from his country to win a single-seater championship in Europe. It was his first season racing in single-seaters but he managed to grab 10 wins on his way to the title.

    In 2020 he competed in Euroformula Open, delivering two podiums in which he finished 8th overall. He made the switch to Formula Regional European for 2021 where he finished 4th in his debut season. He managed to grab a win as well as six podiums and one pole position.

    Maloney, tested for Trident in the post-season test at Valencia and impressed the team! He managed to get in the top 10 in 5 out of the 6 sessions.

    “I am proud to debut in the FIA Formula 3 Championship with Trident Motorsport, the queen among the teams in the series,” said Maloney. “Throughout the last season, I think I have grown as a driver, both in terms of managing the race weekends and in paying attention to every detail. Together with Trident Motorsport, I want to continue in this direction, and I am sure that there are all the ingredients to do well in the FIA Formula 3 Championship. I can’t wait to get out on track and start this new adventure in an extremely popular and competitive series.”

    Trident Team Manager Giacomo Ricci added: “We are delighted to welcome Zane to our line-up. He really stood out in the post-season test at Valencia last November. Zane adapted very quickly to the F3 car, posting competitive results both in terms of performance and long runs. A strong bond immediately formed between him and the team, which is proud to have secured a driver with good prospects with whom to compete in a demanding series such as the FIA Formula 3 Championship.”

    My Opinion-

    This is a good move for him! It was only a matter of time till he was in Formula 3. He impressed in the post-season test so it will be interesting to see how he does throughout the season…

  • Teams junior drivers part 1

    Being a team in Formula One they are not just battling it out on track they are also looking for the next best thing to hopefully find the next future world champion.

    Mercedes Juniors-

    Andrea Kimi Antonelli, has been with the German team since 2019 when he was only 12 years old but CEO Toto Wolff had been keeping an eye on him some time before he signed for the team. He is the 2020/2021 OK European Champion, this year already he has took part in F4 UAE, where he scored two wins and two more podiums! He is most definitely one to look out for in the future…

    Paul Aron competed in Formula Regional European Championship last year with Prema he finished 3rd overall. He also tested with Formula 3 at the post-season test with Prema, so could potentially see him in F3 soon!

    Alex Powell, born in Miami in 2007 but is a native of Jamaica. He made his karting debut in 2015 and his managed to make a name for himself already. Looking on the last couple of years, Alex has enjoyed a successful 2019 campaign, driving for Energy Corse, which included winning the ROK Cup Superfinal (Mini ROK) and 24° South Garda Winter Cup (Mini ROK), finishing third in the WSK Super Master Series (60 Mini), third in the Italian Championship (60 Mini), fifth in WSK Euro Series (60 Mini) and ninth in the WSK Champions Cup (60 Mini). 2020 saw Alex take on various OK Junior categories in the karting world, including the WSK Champions Cup and WSK Super Master Series.

    Frederik Vesti, new to the Mercedes junior programme but most definitely causing a scene. In 2016 he competed in both German and Danish F4 Championships. He missed two events in the Danish Championship but still managed to finish 2nd. Vesti competed in the Formula Regional European Championship where he won the championship ahead of Enzo Fittipaldi. Vesti then done two years in Formula 3 with him finishing 4th both year. He is now going to race in Formula 2 for the 2022 season with ART Grand Prix, the team he was with in Formula 3 last year!

    Lastly, Yuanpu Cui. First drove a go-kart at the age of six, and joined the team last year off a positive season in 2020. Yuanpu’s started racing professionally in 2014 and by 2016 he had finished second in the Chinese Rotax series. Over the next few seasons, he began to expand his racing outside of China, competing in events all around the world. This included podium finishes in Italian National events, WSK Open Cup, WSK Final Cup, the ROK Cup Superfinal and WSK Euro Series in the 60 Mini and Mini ROK classes, across the 2018 and 2019 seasons. In 2020, he picked up a P2 position in the 31° Andrea Margutti Trophy in OK Junior, picked up victories and podiums in the WSK Champions Cup in 60 Mini and scored podiums in the WSK Super Master Series in 60 Mini. He also achieved a podium in the 2020 Florida Winter Tour in Mini ROK.

    Sauber Junior Team-

    Théo Pourchaire, they youngest driver ever to win an F2/GP2 race last year with ART GP, he will be returning to Formula 2 this year with ART GP again in hopes to try and fight for the title. Since being with the Sauber academy, he has won the ADAC Formula 4 Championship beating Dennis Haugher by seven points. Could we see these two fighting for the title this year?

    Christian Ho, is a 13 year old go-kart driver, who was born in Singapore. His half Chinese and half Korean but he is living in Italy. His currently competing in the Junior category with Sauber Junior Karting team.

    Miguel Costa, was born in 2009, he first started karting when he was 3 years old, since then he hasn’t looked back. In 2016 he became the Rock Cup Vice Champion, in 2017 he then went on to be FWT Rok, FWT Rotax and Rok Cup USA Vice Champion. This year he is competing in many karting championships!

    Tiziano Monza, was born in Singapore in 2009 but lives in Italy so he can race around the world. In 2020 he became the WSK Open Cup Vice Champion. Again this year, he is set to be competing in karting championships.

    Gustaw Wiśniewski, another karter added to the juniors. Has taken part in WSK series in Italy, as well as Silver medalist of Poland in Rotax Junior Max, Bronze medalist of Poland in Junior Rok as well as 2nd place in Rotax Max Challenge series.

    Juan Manuel Correa, a name most of us know well! He first joined the academy back in 2019 but then re-joined last year again. He made his racing come back last year with ART GP, he is set to do his second year this year returning with ART GP.

    McLaren Young Driver Programme-

    McLaren has had many of drivers through its young drivers program, most successful being 7 time champion, Lewis Hamilton. The most recent driver who graduated from the program was Lando Norris, who now drives for the team this led the British team to be left with no drivers from 2019 to 2021.

    In March 2021, McLaren announced Ugo Ugochukwu as apart of their programme. The American was crowned the FIA European Karting Champion and he has managed to secure many titles in his career already! In December it got announced that Ugo, will be competing in British F4 in 2022 with Carlin- he will be turning 15 on the eve of the championship!

    I will be splitting this in to two posts due to some teams having more drivers than others…

  • Cordeel steps up to F2

    Cordeel steps up to F2

    Van Amersfoort Racing have now confirmed their line-up for the up-coming season with Amaury Cordeel taking the second seat beside British driver Jake Hughes.

    2022 will be Cordeel’s first season in F2 as he makes the step up from Formula 3, he tested with the team at post-season testing where he finished sixth in the afternoon session of day 3.

    Last year was the Belgian’s first year in Formula 3 where his best finish was 11th. He competed in three different series in 2020 where he had spells in Formula Renault Eurocup, the Castrol Toyota Racing Series and F3 Asia.

    The 19 year old never karted professionally and made his move into single seaters with only testing experience at 14 years old. He debuted in 2017 at the French Formula 4 series where he placed 16th, he then switched to Spanish F4 the following season in which he won the title with 12 podiums including four wins and four pole positions.

    “I am extremely excited to make this step up to F2,” said Cordeel. “I got to know the car during the post-season test at Abu Dhabi and it is an impressive drive. The power increase in comparison to F3 is obviously very noticeable, but I felt comfortable behind the wheel. I am very well aware that the season ahead will be a challenging one and I will face a steep learning curve. However, having Van Amersfoort Racing as my team to rely on gives me great confidence. I am thankful for the trust they’ve put in me and I look very much forward to being part of their FIA F2 debut. The level of dedication and professionalism shown during the test at Yas Marina was impressive, the least said. I will put my learnings from F3 to best use and together with the support of VAR, will build up from there onwards. I have been using the off-season to get in optimum shape, both physically and mentally, not to mention the endless hours I’ve spent in the simulator. I feel ready!”

    VAR’s CEO Rob Niessink added: “After the test at Abu Dhabi, we knew we wanted Amaury in the car. He is very committed to performing and forms a good match with the team. He proofed to be an intelligent driver and learns quickly, something we highly value in a driver. Our crew is excited and set up to support him in every way possible, assisting him to reach his full potential. As this is both his and our first time in the FIA F2 championship, we know it won’t be a walk in the park, but as a team, we are extremely dedicated to performing and leaving a mark starting with the very first outing at Bahrain and onwards!”

    My Opinion-

    Not going to lie, I am a bit mixed feelings on this… I feel like he should of stayed in Formula 3 to see if he can rack up some point finishes instead of moving to F2 without grabbing any points. But considering he tested with the team at the post season test, they clearly trust him. I think Cordeel will have a lot of eyes on him come March to see how he performs.

  • Vesti promoted to F2

    Vesti promoted to F2

    ART Grand Prix have confirmed their 2022 line-up for Formula 2, Frederik Vesti will pair up with Théo Pourchaire.

    The Mercedes junior, swapped Prema racing to ART for his second season of Formula 3, he managed to get five podiums and one win in which he ended the year fourth overall.

    The 20 year old, ran F2 machinery for the very first time at the end of pre-season testing where he finished top 10 in the afternoon session of Day 1.

    He first made his single-seater debut if Formula Ford Denmark in 2016, he finished as Danish F4 vice-champion the following season. In 2019, he went on to win the Formula Regional European title, where he had an impressive 20 podiums from 24 races, including 13 race wins.

    “To sign my FIA Formula 2 contract with ART Grand Prix is a big thing for me,” said Vesti. “We worked incredibly hard in F3 last season and to continue the progress into Formula 2 together is important for my next step. Now it is crucial to understand all the small details of Formula 2 to achieve the maximum in 2022. Testing in Abu Dhabi went really well, and I learned a lot of new things. I can’t wait to be in the car for the first test in Bahrain! I want to thank ART Grand Prix for this great opportunity and for believing in me.”

    ART Grand Prix Team Principal Sébastien Philippe added: “The first year of the partnership was fruitful for both sides with several podiums and a win that saw Fred end the year in 4th place with a total of 17 top 10s in 20 races. Some details kept him from fighting for the title, but we know he has what it takes to do so. After two years of F3, the logical continuation of our collaboration goes through F2. The offseason testing has met our expectations and in 2022 we will aim to fight at the forefront.”

    My Opinion-

    I didn’t doubt for a moment he would not get this seat, its deserved and it will be interesting to see how he makes the step up. ART have a really good line-up this year, Vesti is hungry for podiums/wins and Pourchaire wants to win the championship so they will most definitely be going for the teams championship.