Motorsports Racing News & Blog Articles

Andrea Stella believes his McLaren F1 Team failed to adapt sufficiently to the new-for-2022 eighteen-inch Pirelli tyres compared to their rivals, which made for a much more difficult FIA Formula 1 World Championship season than anticipated.

The behaviours of the eighteen-inch tyres differed compared to the thirteen-inch tyres they replaced, and the problems that all teams faced with the new tyres, which came in alongside new aerodynamic regulations in 2022, were seemingly more extreme for McLaren and required more focus than they were hoping was needed.

It was the front tyres in particular that stood out as being problematic, and it was the fundamental behaviour of them that brought out multiple conversations between drivers and engineers throughout the season.

Stella, the new Team Principal at McLaren following the departure of Andreas Seidl, says the team failed to get the best out of the tyres throughout the season, which meant they were unable to get the best out of the MCL36, which in turn meant they slipped to fifth in the Constructors’ Championship.

“Since their introduction, they gave relatively sharp behaviour of the car with the strong front tyres when the car is in a straight line,” Stella is quoted as saying by Motorsport.com. 

Guenther Steiner admitted the 2022 FIA Formula 1 World Championship season was a very difficult one to predict for his Haas F1 Team, with the form of the VF-22 fluctuating throughout the year.

After not developing at all their 2021 car that ended that season without scoring any points, the 2022 campaign was much better, with Haas securing eighth place in the Constructors’ Championship ahead of Scuderia AlphaTauri and Williams Racing.

They started the year superbly with a remarkable fifth place finish for Formula 1 returnee Kevin Magnussen in the Bahrain Grand Prix, and this was followed up by another top ten finish in the subsequent Saudi Arabian Grand Prix for the Dane.

However, thereafter the form of the car was erratic at best, and although they were able to score points with both Magnussen and Mick Schumacher in the Austrian and British Grand Prix weekends, Steiner, the Team Principal at Haas, admitted it was difficult to predict from one weekend to the next if they were going to be contenders for the top ten.

“I didn’t expect a fall after a few races,” said Steiner to Motorsport.com.  “I think in Australia, we had a s**t race.

Williams Racing stopped development on their 2022 car after it became clear that they were never going to be in a position to lift themselves off the bottom of the Constructors’ Championship, according to former Team Principal Jost Capito.

Williams scored only eight points across the 2022 FIA Formula 1 World Championship season, four by Alexander Albon and two each for Nicholas Latifi and Italian Grand Prix stand-in Nyck de Vries, who replaced Albon when he came down with appendicitis.

Speaking ahead of his recent departure from Williams, Capito revealed that whilst the big upgrade they brought to the FW44 at Silverstone helped move the team forward, it was still not enough for them to become regular contenders for the top ten, and it was decided therefore to focus fully on the development of the 2023 car.

“When you see from there that shortly after, the gap to the ninth and eighth, is too big, that it doesn’t make sense to put effort in this year’s car,” Capito is quoted as saying by Motorsport.com.

“You would stay tenth, and then you miss out on putting the effort in next year’s car. So when we saw that we’ll be tenth, it doesn’t matter what the gap is, then put all the effort into next year’s car.

Esteban Ocon does not believe it will take long for his new team-mate at the BWT Alpine F1 Team, Pierre Gasly, to settle into the team, and he says his fellow Frenchman is likely to be a big asset for the Enstone-based outfit.

Gasly has left the Red Bull stable for the first time in his FIA Formula 1 World Championship career to replace the Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One Team bound Fernando Alonso ahead of the 2023 season, but Ocon believes he will quickly acclimatise to his new surroundings and be quick on track straight out of the box.

And Ocon, who will have his third team-mate in four years since he joined the team after Alonso and Daniel Ricciardo, reckons Gasly won’t need much help from him to adapt to life at Alpine, and he hopes the two of them can help the team move further forward up the grid after finishing fourth in the Constructors’ Championship last season.

“I don’t think he’s going to need much help,” said Ocon to Motorsport.com.  “I think Pierre is very experienced.

“He’s driven for different teams, he’s driven a lot in testing also prior to that. It’s always a learning curve of understanding the car, how you work.  The team and I, we have the keys, and again, the important thing is for us to debate, do the same thing we were doing with Fernando.

For more than a decade until its conclusion this year, the Ginetta GT4 SuperCup was one of the leading one-make GT championships in the UK, serving as a launchpad for aspiring career drivers into top GT, prototype and touring car series across the globe.

The championship’s roots came with the Ginetta G50 Cup, which started in 2008 and joined the support package for the BTCC a year later. Nigel Moore, Nathan Freke and Frank Wrathall secured drivers’ titles across three hugely competitive seasons of racing.

In 2011 came the introduction of a new car, the Ginetta G55 GT4, and with it the launch of the GT4 SuperCup. The new series burst onto the scene with a huge prize on offer for the inaugural champion; a fully-funded season in the British Touring Car Championship.

Despite Tom Sharp sensationally winning the first six races in a row, and a talented entry that also included Carl Breeze, Freke and Colin White, it was Ciceley Motorsport’s Adam Morgan who emerged as the inaugural champion and earned the life-changing opportunity.

“I owe a huge amount to Ginetta and Lawrence Tomlinson, as that prize got me to where I am today,” said Morgan, who has since contested 11 consecutive seasons in the BTCC. “I’d only been racing for three years at the time, two seasons in Ginetta, and all of a sudden I found myself on the biggest platform in British motorsport.

Maximilian Günther‘s time as a driver for Maserati MSG Racing has simply started in the best way possible, with the German perhaps heading into Season Nine and the start of Gen3 as an early title contender.

Pre-season testing at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo, Valencia, went better than Günther and Maserati could likely have dreamed of, with the team having looked blisteringly quick from the get-go. The Italian manufacturer marked their return to motorsport by dominating the top of the timesheets in Valencia, with Günther having been the fastest competitor in five of the seven sessions during the week of testing.

If that wasn’t enough for the former Nissan Formula E Team driver, Günther also set a new ABB FIA Formula E World Championship record at the circuit in Spain, with the German having ventured comfortably below the best Gen2 time at the circuit.

It is safe to say that in Günther’s case, a happy driver is a fast driver, with the twenty-five year old seemingly “at home” with the Maserati outfit. Should Günther remain “close to the team”, then an extremely exciting season could be on the horizon for the three-time Formula E race winner.

“It’s going really well so far,” Günther told fiaformulae.com, in regard to life at the Monaco-based team.

NEOM McLaren Formula E Team rookie Jake Hughes feels “very prepared” for his first season in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, despite admitting that there is “almost no preparation” for the all-electric series.

Hughes looks set to be a serious driver to watch in Season Nine, with the Brit having performed remarkably well during pre-season testing a couple of weeks ago at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo, Valencia. The former Formula 2 driver was a regular name towards the top of the timesheets, and was one of the few drivers able to produce times capable of challenging the DS Automobile-powered Gen3 cars.

Hughes’ seat at McLaren for 2023 is his real big break in motorsport, having been the reserve driver of the Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team for the last two seasons. The twenty-eight year old has delivered some strong results over recent years in Formula 2 and Formula 3, with his best result in 2022 having been fourth at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit during the F2 feature race in Saudi Arabia.

Some might consider him as an underdog in Formula E, given that he’s never been a title challenger in F2 or F3; however, if he can take his pre-season pace into the season-opening Mexico City E-Prix, then he could be set for a strong start to his new “adventure”.

Hughes has really enjoyed getting to grips with the Gen3 car whilst trying to learn everything there is about the all-electric championship, he is aware, though, that Season Nine will be a “learning process”.

Julio Estanguet and Ignacio Sanchís‘ 2023 Dakar Rally ended before it could even start. Estanguet suffered a thrombosis episode in his right leg on the flight to Saudi Arabia that forced him to withdraw, while Sanchis suffered a crash during shakedown on Thursday that forced him out just two days before the race begins.

Estanguet’s health improved upon landing in Saudi Arabia receiving treatment, though he will still sit out the race out of caution.

“I never imagined myself being in this situation,” said Estanguet. “We had prepared physically, mentally, and logistically for what was supposed to be my last race on quads. I feel sorry for myself, for my team here, my family, friends and sponsors, and also for everyone who supports me in this.

“Today is a very sad day for me, but I thank you all for the support at this time.”

The Argentine was due to ride the #168 Can-Am in the Quad class. He first competed at Dakar in 2010 and made three more appearances in 2011, 2016, and 2019 with the most recent attempt seeing him place eighth in the category and second among 4×4 quads. An architect by trade, he had hoped to close out his career with the 2023 race.

American driver Hunter Yeany will join Carlin for the 2023 FIA Formula 3 season, making the switch from Campos Racing.

Yeany’s first stint in F3 came with Charouz Racing system, where he made two appearances during the 2021 season.

He was then handed a permanent seat with Campos racing for the 2022 season, but his season came to halt when he suffered a broken wrist in Austria.

Yeany made his return for the final round of the season, before participating in all three days of post-season testing in Jerez with the Carlin team.

The seventeen-year-old rose to prominence in the F4 USA championship where he dominated the series, picking up eight wins and six podiums, to become the youngest-ever winner of the championship in the 2020 season.

With the Race of Champions on 28/29 January 2023 set to take place on the snow and ice of Sweden, it only makes sense for the Americans to bring some of their finest off-road personalities. Travis Pastrana will race ROC for the ninth time, while Tanner Foust will join him in his third try at the event.

The duo previously joined forces in 2009, where they fell to Germany’s Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel in the Nations Cup semi-final.

Pastrana needs no introduction as an eleven-time X Games gold medalist who has competed in virtually everything off-road from rallying to rallycross and motocross to the Stadium Super Trucks. He was originally supposed to represent Team USA alongside IndyCar driver Jimmie Johnson at the inaugural snow ROC in 2022 but had to skip due to injuries suffered in a BASE jumping accident. Had Pastrana been able to race, the United States would have had a pair of off-road veterans as Johnson began his career in stadium trucks and desert racing. Instead, the Americans procured an all-IndyCar duo as Johnson and Colton Herta made the final round of the Nations Cup before losing to Team Norway.

Although Pastrana missed out on ROC 2022, he was still there in spirit via the Nitro Rallycross FC1-X, which made its racing début at the event before becoming the NRX headlining category Group E this year. Vettel, who is once again competing for Team Germany alongside Schumacher’s son Mick in 2023, received an invitation from Pastrana to race in the series following his second-place finish in the individual ROC.

Pastrana is currently fifth in the Group E standings with two victories at ERX and Wild Horse Pass. He founded NRX in 2021 and won the inaugural Supercar championship.

Italian driver Leonardo Fornaroli will join Oliver Goethe and Gabriel Bortoleto in Trident’s FIA Formula 3 lineup for the 2023 season.

Fornaroli joins the Formula 3 team after a successful season with the Italian outfit in Formula Regional European Championship, as he scored fifteen points finishes in twenty races, securing him a respectable eighth-place finish.

Having made his single-seater debut in 2020, Fornaroli dovetailed his rookie season in Italian F4 with a three-race stint in ADAC Formula 4. Returning for a second campaign in Italian F4 last year, he seized one victory, seven podiums, and two pole positions on his way to fifth in the Standings.

The 18-year-old also impressed the team in Formula 3 post-season testing in Jerez, where he completed one hundred and eighty laps over the course of the three-day test, finishing in the top six on two occasions. 

“I’m happy to continue my journey with Trident Motorsport, after this year’s success in Formula Regional with the team,” said Fornaroli. 

Nikola Tsolov joins ART Grand Prix ahead of the 2023 Formula 3 season, making the step up from the Spanish F4 championship.

The Bulgarian took thirteen victories over the course of the Spanish Formula 4 season, which saw him take the title in dominant fashion.

Tsolov also took part in Formula 3 post-season testing in Jerez earlier in the year for the ART team, with his performances in Spain prompting the promotion to a permanent drive for the French outfit.

ART Grand Prix team principal Sebastien Phillipe echoed this sentiment, “Although it was his debut in F3 and with ART Grand Prix, during the Jerez test Nikola confirmed his ability to adapt quickly and well to a new environment as well as getting the most out of the car.

“His natural speed is reinforced by a great thirst for learning and by remarkable seriousness and determination for such a young age.”

Ian James, the Team Manager of the McLaren Formula E Team and the former Team Principal of the Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team, says Nyck de Vries has ‘richly deserved’ his move to the FIA Formula 1 World Championship in 2023.

De Vries raced for Mercedes and took the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship title in the 2020/21 season under James’ leadership, with the Dutchman taking four wins during his time with the team.

The twenty-seven-year-old made his Formula 1 race debut in the 2022 Italian Grand Prix when he stepped in at the last minute to race in place of an ill Alexander Albon at Williams Racing, with de Vries stunning the paddock by bringing home two points with a ninth-place finish. 

This performance, as well as his free practice outings with the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team and the Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula 1 Team, opened the eyes of everyone in Formula 1, and he was signed by Scuderia AlphaTauri to replace the BWT Alpine F1 Team-bound Pierre Gasly for the 2023 season.

James says Mercedes had their eye on him early on and were keen to bring him into their line-up, and AlphaTauri have acquired a driver who is not only very quick but also an extremely good team player for 2023.

Sacha Fenestraz’s performances during the 2022 Super Formula championship should be enough for him to open doors into the FIA Formula 1 World Championship, according to Michael Krumm.

Krumm, a multiple champion across different series’ across the globe including Japan, was brought in by Kondo Racing during the 2022 campaign to aid Fenestraz when it came to navigating the language barrier between the Japanese team and the Franco-Argentine driver.

Fenestraz, a former member of the Renault Sport Academy, finished second behind Tomoki Nojiri in the championship, winning once at Sugo and taking three additional podium finishes along the way.

And the German believes that Fenestraz was one of the standout performers across the season and would do well should he be given an opportunity to race in Formula 1 in the future.

“I have been very impressed with his speed, his performance level,” said Krumm to Motorsport.com. “I didn’t expect that we would get such good results from the beginning. 

Lance Stroll has praised the Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula 1 Team engineers for what they were able to do to improve the AMR22 during the 2022 FIA Formula 1 World Championship season, and he hopes they can continue to bring the team closer to the front of the field in 2023.

It was a very difficult start to the 2022 campaign for Aston Martin and they were towards the bottom of the pack in the opening half of the season.  However, results began to come in the second half of the campaign as developments were brought to the car, and they were close to overhauling Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN for sixth in the Constructors’ Championship by the end of the season.

Stroll’s best finish came when he took sixth place in the Singapore Grand Prix as he and team-mate Sebastian Vettel benefitted from the upgraded car, and he hopes the direction the team were heading continues into next season.

“I think we really struggled at the beginning of the year,” Stroll is quoted as saying by Formula1.com.  “I think we were far off the pace at the beginning of the year, but the guys have done a great job improving the car.

“You know, we introduced a new package in… was it Barcelona? That was kind of the beginning of change. And then from there, I think we’ve developed the car a lot throughout the year.