Motorsports Racing News & Blog Articles

Oscar Piastri’s contract saga between the BWT Alpine F1 Team and McLaren F1 Team has been the talk of the paddock this summer, and now Oracle Red Bull Racing Team Principal Christian Horner has spoken on his regret that Red Bull failed to sign the young Australian to it’s young driver programme a few years ago.

After moving to the United Kingdom in 2016, Piastri would race under the Arden International team, which was originally founded by Horner in 1997, in the 2017 British F4 Championship and the 2018 Formula Renault Eurocup. Piastri amassed an impressive six wins in British F4 and would finish second in the Drivers’ Standings behind Jamie Caroline.

Speaking on the most recent episode of Formula 1’s Beyond the Grid podcast, Horner revealed that shortly before Piastri made the move to the FIA Formula 3 Championship, Red Bull had the opportunity to sign Piastri to it’s young driver programme.

“He drove for the Arden team in Formula 4 and Formula Renault, and was obviously a significant talent.

“There was an opportunity for Red Bull to look at him at the time, and we didn’t take up that option, which is something that I regret. But what he went on to achieve is phenomenal, in Formula 3 and Formula 2.“

The DTM circus heads to the Red Bull Ring this weekend for the penultimate races of the 2022 season. On the back of his first win in DTM in the last round at Spa, Nick Cassidy and Red Bull Alphatauri AF Corse will be looking to build on that momentum in Spielberg.

Cassidy won race two at the famous Spa-Francorchamps circuit after taking the lead from Sheldon Van der Linde when the South African suffered a slow pitstop. Re-joining the track behind Cassidy, the championship leader could not repass the Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020 with the New Zealander defending resolutely.    

Ahead of the challenge, Cassidy said: “I’m really excited to be heading for our home race at the Red Bull Ring. It’s one of the tracks on the calendar that in theory should be great for us. We’ll attack like always and coming in with a lot of confidence from Spa is really nice as well. So, we’ll do our best and hopefully get back on the podium.” 

Finishing seventh and eigth in the two races at Spa, as AF Corse’s leading driver this year, Felipe Fraga looked predictably consistent. Unfortunately for the Brazilian, bad luck across the season in the form of mechanical retirements and incidents has dragged him out of the championship battle.

With a bit of luck in future seasons and an equally quick car, Fraga has the potential to challenge for the championship.  He had this to say on the Red Bull Ring circuit: “We really want to put some results together this weekend, and we’ve tested at Spielberg, so I hope we can get up to speed quickly. I can’t wait to drive a Red Bull car at the Red Bull Ring.”

The Copper X Prix circuit is the shortest of the 2022 Extreme E Championship so far at just 3.05 kilometres in length, but presents a technical design like a roller coaster.

“We have put a lot of emphasis on creating a layout which features plenty of fast, sweeping corners, variations in gradient to put the drivers’ technical skills to the test, alongside jumps which should ensure we see the full potential of the ODYSSEY 21 in Chile,” said series chief officer James Taylor.

“Given the width of the course there should also be multiple overtaking opportunities for the drivers throughout the weekend, meaning our first visit to South America promises to be a spectacular one.”

Taking place in Chile’s Atacama Desert, the course begins with a run leading into a chicane followed by an incline. Such elevation changes are prominent throughout the course, as well as a pair of jumps in the Continental Tire Traction Challenge super sector.

“It is certainly a very exciting course,” commented Championship Driver Fraser McConnell. “The layout allows you to really push and fine-tune those small details out on track, which will deliver a faster lap time. Finding every tenth that you can is going to be pivotal, especially with a shorter layout like this. It is very driver friendly.

Skateboarding and rallycross are immensely popular action sports that have seen quite a significant amount of crossover such as Bucky Lasek and Danny Way. When Nitro Rallycross heads to ERX Motor Park on 1/2 October, Letícia Bufoni will add her name to that list as she enters the SxS category for Yokohama Tire.

Bufoni is one of the top female skateboarders today, having won an X Games gold medal six times in street skating along with three silvers and bronzes each. Her X Games gold in 2021 broke a tie with Elissa Steamer for the most women’s street golds. She also represented Brazil at that year’s Summer Olympics in Tokyo and finished ninth in the women’s street event. In 2015, she won the inaugural Street League Skateboarding Super Crown Women’s title.

While she had no prior competitive racing experience, she has long enjoyed the sport and recently attended the Formula One Miami Grand Prix in May as a guest of Red Bull Racing via her endorsement deal with the energy drink company. Bufoni has also participated in exotic car driving experiences and in 2021 partnered with Porsche and McLaren for commercials.

“So excited to be part of the @yokohamatire team and to be Racing the @nitrorallycross SXS,” posted Bufoni on Instagram.

Besides the aforementioned Lasek and Way, other major action sports stars who have dabbled in rallycross include the late BMX great Dave Mirra, freestyle motocross legend Brian Deegan, and Nitro RX founder Travis Pastrana who has competed in motocross and rallying. The overlap between the realms grew in July when Nitro RX’s owner Thrill One Sports & Entertainment was purchased by a consortium whose leadership included Rob Dyrdek, who founded Street League Skateboarding.

After ending his decorated World Rally Championship co-driving career in 2021, Julien Ingrassia planned to make the switch to rally raid with the goal of competing in the 2023 Dakar Rally. However, those plans have been put on the backburner for now as he explained Wednesday that he does not feel ready at the moment.

Ingrassia was due to run the Dakar Rally in 2023 with Mika Pisano, as part of a programme that would begin with the Andalucía Rally in June followed by the Rallye du Maroc in October. While Andalucía was postponed to October due to wildfires in the region, he spent June testing in Morocco with Pisano and guidance from the Isabelle Patissier Flight School (Ecole de pilotage isabelle patissier), Pisano’s Dakar co-driver Max Delfino, 2021 Dakar Rally-winning navigator Edouard Boulanger, and four-time winner Michel Périn.

However, with the two rallies looming, Ingrassia found himself ill-prepared to compete and elected to drop the plans. The eight-time WRC champion with Sébastien Ogier had been working as an analyst for Canal+’s series coverage in the meantime.

“This is not really natural for someone who has a competitive spirit, and even less so for a co-driver who has in his DNA to plan, calculate and succeed… yet I have to announce that I will not be taking part in the next Dakar Rally,” began a statement by Ingrassia.

“My career at the highest level in the WRC has taught me one thing among many: preparation, practice, and experience is a fundamental basis to build work, ability to improvise and success on ‘D-Day’.

Oracle Red Bull Racing welcomed Sparco this week as their new race-wear partner, set to provide technical gear for the team from next year on. Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner said he is “delighted” to team up with the innovative, safety-driven manufacturer.

“Ensuring that our drivers and our Race Team are kept as safe as possible is always our first priority. Sparco has been at the forefront of racewear safety for more than four decades and we’re delighted to welcome them to the Team.

“The fact that their dedication to safety is matched by the pursuit of performance and lightness, key considerations in racing, makes the collaboration even more exciting.”

Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez’s Superleggera suits will feature Sparco’s advancements in weight-reduction, and will be paired with the manufacturer’s underwear, boots and gloves. Trackside crew will also receive a dedicated line of purpose-built gear.

Sparco President and CEO Aldino Bellazzini said that working with Red Bull, as well as other motorsport partners, will allow the company to advance and “further challenge” themselves to develop race-wear of the highest standard. 

As day two of FIA Formula 3 post season testing in Spain got underway, Zak O’Sullivan set an impressive 1:30.025 within the first half an hour to claim top spot.

However, he was usurped by Gabriel Bortoleto soon enough as the Brazilian broke into the 1:29s to grab first position from O’Sullivan.

With just over an hour gone from the session, the first red flag was waved, as Taylor Barnard met the same fate as many drivers on day one, finding himself in the barriers at turn ten.

When the session resumed, yesterday’s afternoon time topper Kaylen Frederick shot up into the top five, before Roberto Faria’s ART car went off at tuen eight, prompting a brief red flag.

Bulgarian driver Nikola Tsolov completed the most laps in the morning session, clocking in at a whopping fifty four laps for ART.

Kamena Rally Team will pursue the Dakar Rally, the team announced Wednesday. The Polish outfit will field a Polaris RZR sporting a red and white livery to emulate the flag of Poland, a break from the traditional black. Tomasz Białkowski will pilot the car with Dariusz Baśkiewicz as co-driver.

The Polaris factory team mainly competes in the FIA European Cup for Cross-Country Bajas and the larger World Cup, winning the T4 class at the former’s season-opening Baja TT Dehesa Extremadura in May. In early September, the Białkowski/Baśkiewicz duo finished fifth in class and ninth overall in their home Baja Poland.

Kamena has had factory support from Polaris since 2021. That year, they scored the overall, class, and Power Stage wins at the Baja Troia Türkiye.

“DAKAR RALLY – always a dream, today also our GOAL! Our vehicle has turned white and red, and this can only mean one thing – Kamena Rally Team opens another chapter in rally adventure,” posted the team.

“More than petrol, we are driven by the belief that this goal will be achieved. However, it will not be possible without our fans. The whole team is facing intense time, difficult preparations and hard work. One thing is certain, however– w e always need the support of our fans, which always gives extra power and motivation!

Scuderia AlphaTauri Team Principal Franz Tost has spoken about his delight to be retaining Yuki Tsunoda for the 2023 FIA Formula 1 World Championship season but has gone on to warn the Japanese driver that his third season in the sport will be the ultimate proving ground for him to showcase his development.

Tsunoda was rewarded with his seat in the AlphaTauri team after an impressive FIA Formula 2 Championship season in 2020 where he finished third in the overall standings amassing two-hundred points across the season.

The twenty-two-year-old was able to rise from the chaos of the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to claim his best finish so far in the sport as Tsunoda crossed the finish line in fifth place.

Currently sitting in sixteenth place in the Drivers’ Standings with eleven points to his name, Tsunoda has faced his fair share of criticism across his short time in Formula 1, mainly due to him being unafraid to share his true feelings over the radio. While Tsunoda has been able to cut out the majority of mistakes from his rookie season, he has still not been immune to the occasional error, including his crash out of the pit lane at the Canadian Grand Prix.

Despite his issues across his first two seasons in Formula 1, Tsunoda has been able to display an impressive level of pace on occasion and because of that Tost believes the Japanese driver deserves to retain his seat.

Fifteen-year-old Jaden Pariat will be joining the 2022 ROKiT F4 British Championship certified by FIA series for the remaining two race weekends, lining up alongside Jack Sherwood in the Chris Dittmann Racing team.

After a promising career in karting, which included becoming the first Indian rookie to score a point on his debut in the Meco FMSCI X30 National championship, Pariat moved into the MRF Challenge FLGB 1300, and the JK Tyre Championship.

The start of 2022 saw the Indian driver test MRF 1600 AND F2000 cars, plus experience in the Tatuus T-421 which is used for Formula 4 championships around the world, including the British championship.

This coming weekend will see Pariat make his F4 British debut as he hopes to make the most of the final two race weekends of the series.

“I got into motorsport two years ago, and I was mainly influenced by my dad, Atikur, who is a national champion in rallying. We’ve been having fun with cars together since I was a kid, and my original goal was to become a rally driver because of him, but since my dad has already experienced that, I thought I should try something new.” said Pariat.

Scuderia AlphaTauri have announced that Yuki Tsunoda will remain with the Italian-based team for the 2023 FIA Formula 1 World Championship season. The 2023 season will mark Tsunoda’s third season in the FIA Formula 1 World Championship after the Japanese driver debuted at the 2021 Bahrain Grand Prix for AlphaTauri, scoring a points finish on his debut outing in the sport.

Tsunoda has since endured an up-and-down run of form in his thirty-eight race starts in Formula 1, with his best finish coming at the chaotic 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix where Tsunoda came home in fifth-place. The young Japanese driver has faced his fair share of criticism since his arrival on the grid, with Tsunoda known to not be afraid to share his true feelings over the radio.

The AlphaTauri driver currently sits sixteenth in the Driver Standings with eleven points to his name. Tsunoda has faced a considerable amount of misfortune in the 2022 Formula One season, looking primed for a top-ten finish at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Tsunoda’s DRS flap would snap into two, forcing him into a pit stop for repairs. Tsunoda would go on to finish in thirteenth place around the streets of Baku.

Speaking on his contract extension with the team, Tsunoda has credited his move to Italy last year to be closer to the team’s factory in Faenza for being able to become better acclimatised within the team.

“I want to say a huge thank you to Red Bull, Honda and Scuderia AlphaTauri for continuing to give me the opportunity to drive in F1. Having moved to Italy last year, to be closer to the factory, I really feel part of the team and am glad that I get to carry on racing with them in 2023.

FIA Formula 1 World Championship President and CEO Stefano Domenicali has appeared to shut down persistent rumours of an eleventh team potentially joining the grid after the Italian stated that Formula 1 doesn’t need any more teams to join an already busy grid.

After an unsuccessful bid last year to buy the Sauber F1 Team, which currently competes under the Alfa Romeo F1 Team Orlen name, Mario Andretti announced in February of this year that his son, Michael Andretti, had filed the necessary paperwork with the FIA to become the eleventh team in Formula 1.

The Andretti’s have so far proved to be unsuccessful with their attempts to join Formula 1 and Domenicali’s recent comments will cast further doubts on the likelihood of the Andretti’s joining the sport.

Speaking to Sky Sports F1 Domenicali stated that Formula 1 may have already met its limit in regard to having ten teams competing in the sport.

“As always, you need to be balanced, you need to see all the things that are around the table. Having more drivers… at the end of the day there is always a limit at which you can go.

“Adding one or two, you may open up some driving seats. But we need to also have the right dimension in what is successful for the sport.“

The former Scuderia Ferrari Team Principal refused to rule out the possibility of one day an eleventh team joining the grid. However, Domenicali did appear to shut down any possible chance of a team joining the sport in the near future, by stating that an eleventh team is not ‘really a need for Formula 1’ at this present moment.

Andrew Carlson has made a name for himself in short course off-road racing, but will get another chance to strut his stuff in rallycross vehicles when Nitro Rallycross returns to ERX Motor Park on 1/2 October. He will drive the #15 FC1-X for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing JC in his first foray into the nascent Group E category.

Carlson’s family owns and operates ERX Motor Park in Wisconsin, which had been the source of local scrutiny in the spring regarding a conditional use permit until new terms were outlined in July. During Championship Off-Road‘s round there later in the month, he finished ninth in both Pro 4 races and won once in Pro Turbo SxS. Carlson would finish sixth in both classes’ standings with two Pro 4 podiums at Antigo and Bark River and the ERX Pro Turbo victory; a second Pro Turbo win eluded him at Dirt City when a belt broke as he began the final lap while leading.

In 2021, he ran the Nitro RX Supercar round at ERX for Olsbergs MSE and finished fifteenth overall. Among his adversaries in the race were Tanner Foust and Travis Pastrana, both of whom also competed against him in the Crandon World Cup that year; Foust returned to the 2022 World Cup with a truck provided by Carlson.

Unlike the Supercars, the Nitro Rallycross FC1-X is touted as the most powerful rallycross car ever built with much larger and stronger specs, which Carlson finds comparable to his short course vehicles.

“I’m very excited to get into a car that is going to be closer to the weight and power level of the off-road truck I am used to racing,” stated Carlson. “The fact that the FC1-X is a spec car is cool because it allows guys that haven’t raced the earlier races, like myself, to know that we are not going to be way off on the vehicle setup.”

The first day of FIA Formula 3 post-season testing began with thirty cars out on track, including sixteen drivers, new to the F3 machinery.

In the opening hour, Italian driver Gabriele Mini went top of the times 1:31.217, followed Sebastian Montoya, freshly off impressing in the last two races of the Formula 3 season with Campos Racing.

Josep Maria Marti was the first driver to venture below the 1.31’s setting a 1:30.957. However, Mini claimed top spot back from the Spaniard later on in the session recording a 1:30.499 with just over an hour remaining of the morning session.

Red flags soon followed as Kaylen Frederick found the gravel at turn six.

Mini rounded off an eventful morning session by colliding with the barriers at turn ten to bring out the second red flag of the session.

Whilst everything is going perfectly for Oracle Red Bull Racing‘s Max Verstappen on the circuit, there could be a sizeable issue brewing off it, after the Dutchman’s long-time personal sponsor had their owner and CEO paid a visit by police.

According to Eindhoven news, the CEO and owner of Dutch supermarket chain Jumbo (which sponsors Verstappen), Frits van Eerd, had their house raided by police following what has been described as a “large money laundering scandal”.

Based on reports by Eindhoven news, money laundering by Van Eerd was detected through online transactions, including, motorsport. There is a very large chance that this has absolutely nothing to do with Verstappen; however, Van Eerd is an extremely influential figure in Dutch motorsport, with the Jumbo CEO and owner having connections to Nyck de Vries as well as being the main sponsor for endurance side Racing Team Nederland.

According to local reports from the area, nine people have been arrested, including, Van Eerd himself. Whilst all nine are currently only suspects, Van Eerd did spent a night in prison; however, Jumbo have since said that he was simply there as a witness.

Having helped drivers like Verstappen and De Vries through the junior categories, Van Eerd decided to give racing a go himself and created the endurance team in 2017. People such as De Vries, Rubens Barrichello, Guido van der Garde, Jans Lammers and Job van Uytert have all driven for the Racing Team Nederland.