Jordan's Track Talk

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  • 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.

  • Latest F3 Announcements

    Latest F3 Announcements

    A few more Formula 3 seats have been taken up recently, so lets take a look…

    Edgar to Trident-

    The reigning Champs, Trident annoucned that Jonny Edgar will be joining the team for 2022, where he moves from Carlin. The Brit, finished 18th with 23 points in his rookie season- he managed to score five top-10 finishes.

    He drove for the team, in post-season testing and impressed the team to earn a drive, he ended the afternoon session on day 3 in third.

    Jonny is also a member of the Red Bull Junior team, he has 3 years of experience in single seaters, which includes him winning the 2020 ADAC Formula 4 title.

    Trident Team Owner Maurizio Salvadori added: “Jonny Edgar is a driver that we followed very closely last year in the Formula 3 Championship. Although he did not receive particular results, the English driver impressed us thanks to his qualities. I am therefore very happy that Jonny will. be part of the Trident Team lineup in 2022. I am sure that he will compete in a top championship and will be a real protagonist of the season.”

    Correa stays with ART-

    Juan Manuel Correa and Art Grand Prix have signed for another year together in Formula 3. The Sauber junior made his racing return with ART last year, two years on from the tragic accident in Spa.

    He ended 2021, in 21st place where he had five top 10 finishes. When he was racing in Formula 2 he was a double-podium finisher scoring second place at Baku and Le Castellet with Charouz Racing System.

    Correa took part in the Formula 2 post-season test in Abu Dhabi with Charouz so he could get some more mileage underneath him.

    Team Principal Sébastien Philippe added: “Juan Manuel provided positive feedback by fitting in perfectly with the team and making progress after missing a year due to that pivotal event in his career. His strength of character has enabled him to rediscover his joy behind the wheel and to fight regularly in the top 10. In 2022, with the help of ART Grand Prix, he will be keen to take an additional step in his goals, to be even closer to the front and to participate in the team’s ambition to win both championships.”

    MP signs Smolyar-

    The Russian driver, Alex Smolyar will be returning to Formula 3 for his third season, but he is swapping ART Grand Prix for MP Motorsport.

    Last year, Smolyar finished sixth overall, with two wins and four podiums. In his rookie season in 2020, he ended 11th with just one podium to his name.

    The Russian, first made his single seater debut in 2017, where he drove for SMP Racing in Spanish F4 and SMP F4. He finished third in both series. He then went on to spend the next two years in the Formula Renault Eurocup.

    “It’s great news that Alex and SMP Racing have put their faith in MP for this year’s FIA F3 Championship”, said MP Motorsport team principal Sander Dorsman. “Alex is arguably one of the best drivers to stay in the category for another season, and his vast knowledge of the car and the circuits will serve us well as we look forward to a strong season.”

    My Opinion-

    The move for Jonny is the right one, I feel like we will see a different driver this year in him. He will be wanting to help the team fight for the Championship again.

    Correa has a good relationship with ART GP, and its only right that he stays with them I think. I feel like him staying in F3 this year is the right decision, hopefully we will see him make an appearance in the top 10 more consistently this year!

    Smolyar, I feel like ART GP wasn’t the right fit for him. Yes he has done well in his first two years in F3 but I feel like MP will help make that step forward. It will be interesting to see how he does with a new team.

  • Every driver to sit out of an FP1 session

    Every driver to sit out of an FP1 session

    Young drivers, are due to be given an increased chance to show what they are made of this year, with each driver set to sit out of an FP1 session.

    This is set to come into play after team bosses agreed in Mexico that two FP1 sessions must be reserved for young driver running which starts this year. Rookie tests in the latest cars are few and far between apart from the young driver test at the end of the season.

    Normally junior/reserve drivers get the opportunity to privately run F1 cars during the season but they only take place in older machinery due to the cost implications involved.

    Over the years, there has been lots of complaints about the lack of opportunities for young drivers to show their capabilities in Formula 1 cars.

    Ross Brawn had spoke previously about how Friday running is set to include young rookie drivers in the future. After thoughts of a mandatory rookie to run in each Fp1 session by a different team, the rule of two weekends per team has offered the freedom for the teams to decide when they want to use their younger drivers.

    Brawn is also putting in place that teams do not use more experienced runners, in the way that Alfa Romeo have previously used Robert Kubica in FP1 for example.

    With AMuS says drivers will need to have had fewer than two F1 starts to qualify as a rookie under these rules.

    “Friday running is coming in,” F1 managing director of motorsports Brawn told Autosport back in September 2021. “And we are being very careful about how we define a rookie. Let’s wait and see how we define it. I think it’s next year they will need to run a young driver on a Friday, every team a certain number of occasions.”

    My Opinion-

    I think this is a good idea, it gives young drivers an opportunity to show teams what they are made of and potential for a seat in the future. Also it gives the young drivers more experience and learn about an F1 car and the way it works and a get to know the team too.

  • Armstrong to HiTech

    Armstrong to HiTech

    HiTech Grand Prix has now confirmed their line up for the 2022 season with the second seat going to Kiwi, Marcus Armstrong who will be switching from DAMS.

    The 21 year old scored his first Formula 2 win in the penultimate round of the season at Jeddah and almost finished the season with a second victory at the finale but he had to retire due to a mechanical issue. He finished 13th in the drivers standing overall with two podiums in total.

    For pre-season testing, Armstrong switched to Hitech where he ended three out of six sessions in the top 10, which included third on Day 2.

    Armstrong has been in the news lately after himself and the Ferrari Driver Academy has parted ways after 4 years together.

    In his first year of single seater racing in 2017, Armstrong won the Italian Formula 4 championship which included four victories and a further nine podiums, he also competed in ADAC F4 the same year in which he finished 2nd in- he was inducted into the FDA this year.

    He then went on to compete in the 2018 Formula 3 European Championship, where he finished 5th overall. 2019 saw Armstrong be a title challenger in Formula 3 where he finished runner-up to Robert Shwartzman.

    “I’m thrilled to be joining Hitech this season in Formula 2,” said Armstrong. Team Principal Oliver Oakes brought me to Europe a few years back and I saw Hitech in the early days. Since then, it’s transformed into one of the powerhouses of Formula 2 and 3. I’m looking forward to be working with a successful group of people and giving it everything I’ve got in my new Hitech team this year.”

    My Opinion-

    Ahhh, I’m glad Marcus has got a seat! I feel like we haven’t seen the absolute best of him yet. Maybe this is the move he needs and with not being in the FDA anymore he may want to prove some people wrong…

  • 18.02.22

    The fourth car date has been revealed, this time it being Mercedes. They will show the world the W13 on the 18th February, in an online event from Silverstone.

    This year we are due to see a new line-up, with Lewis Hamilton sticking with the team but the change comes within his team-mate, this year he is partnered up with Mercedes Junior, George Russell.

    The pair will be seeking to help the team go for a record of a ninth consecutive title this season, whilst Hamilton will be going for a record breaking eight.

    George has been apart of the Mercedes junior programme since 2017, he got the opportunity to then stand in for Lewis Hamilton at the Sakhir Grand Prix in 2020 where he qualified in P2 just missing out on pole position by 26 milliseconds. He then led the majority of the race until 20 laps to go with a mix up of pitstops/punctures which resulted him in finishing 9th where he scored his first ever Formula One points.

    When the W13 has its covers taken off it will be given a shakedown run around the circuit later on in the day.