Motorsports Racing News & Blog Articles

Brendon Hartley has taken Toyota Gazoo Racing‘s seventh overall 24 Hours of Le Mans pole position in a session dictated by track limits. Nick Tandy led Anotnio Garcia across the line for a Corvette Racing one-two in GTE Pro, adding to the strong week the American manufacturer has had so far.

At the start of the session, Toyota seemed to be running away with overall pole. Kamui Kobayashi and Hartley both set 3m25s laps, which were seconds ahead of the other Hypercars. In a surprise twist, Nicolas Lapierre came out in the #36 Alpine Elf Team and put a 3:24.850 on the table, the first sub 3m25s that had been seen all weekend. This left it up to Toyota to mount the challenge.

Getting stuck behind an Am car hindered both Toyotas in their penultimate flying laps, Hartley losing half a second in the final sector. It has looked like Kobayashi had done enough, setting a 3:24.585, but the time was deleted for track limits, promoting Alpine back up to provisional pole. In a confusing chain of events, Kobayashi’s time was reinstated, but it no longer mattered as both Toyotas went faster again, Hartley taking pole with a 3:24.408, four tenths up on Kobayashi. Kobayashi’s 3:24.828 outpaced Lapierre by just 0.022.

The two Glickenhaus Racing cars had a quiet Hyperpole after looking so promising through practice. Ryan Briscoe outpaced Olivier Pla in the #708 by just under half a second after having had a few laps deleted for track limits himself.

Filipe Alberquerque started Hyperpole looking like the man with the advantage, but Robin Frijns bided his time to set a sensational 3:28.394 in the #31 WRT. 1.3s up on the Realteam by WRT in the hands of Norman Nato, none of the LMP2 cars had an answer for the incredible pace Frijns found.

Toyota Gazoo Racing took a one-two in the final day practice session before the 24 Hours of Le Mans, whilst Corvette Racing continued their streak of having both of their cars finish in the top three in class during practice sessions.

It wasn’t a seamless run through the three-hour session for the #8 Toyota, which found itself stationary on track around the halfway mark of the session. An electrical fault saw Ryo Hirakawa moving slow down the Mulsanne, having to do a power reset before gradually making his way back to the pits. The team managed to get the issue solved and the car back out on track, but that will be a cause of concern for Hirakawa and team mates Sebastien Buemi and Brendon Hartley going into Hyperpole later this evening.

The fastest laps of the session were set early, with Kamui Kobayashi‘s 3:26.796 unchallenged throughout the three hours. Hartley’s best was three tenths down on the sister car, with Olivier Pla in the #708 Glickenhaus Racing third, two tenths further back.

The Alpine Elf Team LMP1 car finished 2.4s down as it has been so far this week, but a change in their Balance of Performance (BoP) will hopefully bring them into the fight for Hyperpole. The #709 spent some time in the garage this session, but made it out on track to set the fourth fastest time of the class.

Filipe Alburquerque gave United Autosports their first fastest lap of the weekend in class with a 3:30.964 in the #22. It was a United one-two ahead of FIA World Endurance Championship rivals WRT when Alex Lynn went 0.061s slower than Alburquerque. It couldn’t have been closer at the front, however, as Robin Frijns was only 0.06s behind Lynn’s time, seeing the top three covered by 0.121s. It is assumed that these three will be the qualifiers in this evening’s Hyperpole, so LMP2 will definitely be the class to watch.

Scuderia Ferrari go into the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on the back of a nightmare Monaco Grand Prix, after a strategic error saw Charles Leclerc miss out on victory at his home circuit.

Ferrari’s confusion resulted in them falling further behind Oracle Red Bull Racing in the Constructors’ championship, heading into a weekend which should suit their rivals better.

The Baku City Circuit has produced some enthralling races in the past, with this weekend’s looking set to be another unpredictable classic. Ferrari will most likely be up against it in Baku, with the 2.22km main straight playing right into Red Bull’s hands.

Leclerc will be wanting to get himself back into the lead of the Drivers’ championship, whereas Carlos Sainz Jr will be hoping to draw himself into the title fight.

Nicola Bariselli, Ferrari’s PU Track Operations Manager, explained what type of circuit Baku is ahead of the weekend.

Toto Wolff is hoping the Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team can claw themselves back into the title fight this weekend, at the usually highly unpredictable Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

It was a mixed Monaco Grand Prix for Mercedes, with George Russell finishing fifth and Lewis Hamilton in eighth. The seven-time World Champion had superior pace to those ahead of him, but was unable to get past Fernando Alonso.

The Baku City Circuit thankfully offers a number of overtaking opportunities, none greater than the 2.22km main straight. Baku usually produces a highly unpredictable and chaotic race, one which could offer the Silver Arrows with some unmissable opportunities.

The team have faced varied levels of success in Azerbaijan, however, the moment that’ll live in the memories is when Hamilton ran on at Turn 1 last year at the restart. Had the Brit not run-off at the first corner, then he would’ve ended up scoring enough points to make him an eight-time World Champion.

Russell has also faced bad luck at the venue before, after famously running over a lose drain, heavily damaging his Williams car.

Alex Albon is hoping to bounce back from a disappointing Monaco Grand Prix, where Williams Racing’s recent struggles continued. The Thai driver is hoping for better fortunes this weekend at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, an event he enjoys.

The Baku City Circuit has provided some of the most unpredictable races in recent years, something which Albon is hoping for again this weekend. An unpredictable race could work well for Williams, as they look to get themselves back into the points.

Albon is looking to “hit the ground running” in Baku, where he predicts the FW44 will be better suited.

“I really like Baku as it tends to be a circuit with a lot of opportunities. It’s been a good track for me in previous years. Baku is a street circuit but presents a different challenge to what we faced in Monaco a couple of weeks ago. The races are quite unpredictable, which I think will work well for us and on paper it’s a circuit that should also suit us. We’ll be looking to hit the ground running from Friday onwards and come away with a good result for the team.”

“Baku never disappoints” – Nicholas Latifi

Nicholas Latifi will also be hoping for a crazy race in Azerbaijan, as his future in the sport continues to appear uncertain. The Canadian is looking forward to racing this weekend, where a shock points finish could save his Formula 1 career.

Now a staple on the FIA Formula 2 calendar, the grid heads to the streets of Baku once more for round six of the 2022 championship.

The Baku City Circuit is the third longest track that the drivers will race on this season, behind the Jeddah Corniche Circuit and the legendary Circuit de Spa–Francorchamps. A tight, twisty Castle section mixed with the high-speed start/finish straight awaits the grid this weekend.

The Story So Far

Felipe Drugovich is in the best form of his Formula 2 career with three wins in his last four races. Back to back Feature Race wins means that the Brazilian has a healthy thirty-two point lead on the man in second place, Théo Pourchaire.

The two championship contenders couldn’t be separated in the Monaco Feature Race, with Drugovich just holding off Pourchaire on his way to the win. The battle between the two of them went on all weekend, with the MP Motorsport man pipping the Frenchman to pole position by just a tenth and a half.

PREMA Racing’s Dennis Hauger achieved his maiden victory in Formula 2 , becoming the first rookie to take a win this season after he inherited the lead from reverse grid pole-sitter Jake Hughes who stalled on the grid and never looked back.

This weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix is one that usually offers plenty of unpredictability, resulting in some big points for some unexpecting drivers. Williams Racing will be hoping for the traditional Baku City Circuit chaos, so that they can get themselves back into the points places.

It’s been a tough few rounds for Williams, with the recent Monaco Grand Prix not being one for the British team to write home about, however, they have performed well in Azerbaijan before.

Lance Stroll finished on the podium for Williams in 2017, in what was another Azerbaijan classic. Whilst a podium looks unlikely, points could be possible if they are met with good luck.

Williams’ Head of Vehicle Performance Dave Robson, previewed what he’s expecting from the eighth round of the FIA Formula 1 World Championship.

“The streets of Baku are a quite different challenge to those in Monaco and although there are some very tight and slow corners here, there are also long straights and fast corners to contend with. There is a temptation to significantly lower the downforce and drag level for this circuit but how far it is correct to do so will depend on a range of risk-reward trades, which the drivers will have to consider during the practice sessions.

“Like Monaco, Pirelli have provided the softest of their compound range, which should be suited to Baku providing that they don’t grain. The smooth track surface can make warm-up difficult, but this is compensated by the long lap.

“The camber of the roads, large gradient changes, and the varying track width all add to the challenge at this circuit and ensure that setting the car up to be strong over the full 6km lap is very tricky. However, the same circuit characteristics that provide the setup challenge also lead to good racing and exciting on-track battles in Azerbaijan. Taming the streets of Baku is not easy, but it can be enjoyable and rewarding when done well.”

Toyota and Joe Gibbs Racing are eager to get coveted prospect Sammy Smith into NASCAR’s higher levels. On Thursday, JGR announced Smith will make his Xfinity Series début at Road America on 2 July as part of an eight-race itinerary in the #18 Toyota GR Supra.

After Road America comes dates at Pocono Raceway (23 July), Michigan International Speedway (6 August), Watkins Glen International (20 August), Kansas Speedway (10 September), Bristol Motor Speedway (16 September), Martinsville Speedway (29 October), and the season finale at Phoenix Raceway (5 November). Road America and Watkins Glen are both road courses while Kansas is the lone 1.5-mile oval.

“I’m excited for the opportunity to run the #18 Toyota GR Supra for Joe Gibbs Racing,” Smith stated. “Making the jump to this level is huge for me and my career, and I’m thankful for all of my partners and supporters that have helped me get here.”

A member of Toyota’s driver development programme, Smith stood out in late models before moving to the ARCA Menards Series East with JGR in 2021. That year, he scored top-five finishes in all but one race along with three wins en route to the championship and easy Rookie of the Year honours. Four races into the 2022 ARCA East season, now with JGR’s Camping World Truck Series arm Kyle Busch Motorsports fielding the car, he has won thrice and is once again atop the standings.

As Smith turned eighteen five days ago, JGR hopes to have him commit to the national ARCA Menards Series for the rest of the year. Save for a retirement in his maiden race, he has top fives in his three next starts in the series. His lone ARCA run to date was a third at Phoenix in March, where he won the pole and led the most laps.

After struggling during the first day of the 2022 24 Hours of Le Mans, the sole LMP1 Alpine Elf Team has been handed a power boost through the Hypercar Balance of Performance (BoP).

The French manufacturer had a very difficult first day of the event, never setting a time within two seconds of the other Hypercar runners. In qualifying, they were behind three of the six fastest LMP2 cars in the overall order. The Automobile Club de l’Ouest made the decision during the third practice session to make changes to their power output.

Alpine have received an 11MJ boost to their maximum energy per stint and up to 7kW of additional power relevant to the RPM of the car. Toyota Gazoo Racing and Glickenhaus Racing have received no changes.

Alike with the GTE BoPs, the ACO can continue to change these up until the race start, so if they feel more needs to be done to bring the competition closer together there could be additional changes.

For the third week in a row, the NTT IndyCar Series is back in action with the Sonsio Grand Prix, held at the iconic 14-turn, 6.515 km Road America circuit.

After his win at the Raceway at Belle Isle Park, Will Power enters this weekend as the points leader with 255 points, while Indy 500 winner Marcus Ericsson comes in second only three points behind. Pato O’Ward occupies the third position with 243 points, only two ahead of defending series champion Alex Palou. Rounding out the top five is Josef Newgarden on 208 points.

This weekend will see the return of Callum Ilott to Juncos Hollinger Racing after missing the Detroit Grand Prix due to a broken hand suffered in the Indy 500, while fellow rookie Kyle Kirkwood has also been cleared to race following his sprained right hand in the Motor City. Another return comes in the form of Simona De Silvestro and Paretta Autosport, with the woman-led team focusing on a three-race road course package instead of just the Indy 500.

So, who will be able to best the fan-favorite circuit? Will we see the points lead change hands yet again? And could this be the year we finally see Alexander Rossi return to the dominant form we saw from him at this track in 2019? Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the Sonsio Grand Prix.

WHAT HAPPENED LAST YEAR?

Newgarden looked all but set to win the REV Group Grand Prix, but a mechanical issue coming past the start/finish line with two laps to go handed the win to Palou.

Seven days after suffering an ankle injury in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway, Carson Hocevar intends to run Saturday’s Sonoma Raceway event, though he has a backup plan in case things do not work out. On Wednesday, Hocevar announced his hope to race at Sonoma but added Daniel Suárez will be on standby should his injury prevent him from completing the event in the #42 Niece Motorsports Silverado.

“I’m feeling better every day and I’m looking forward to being behind the wheel of the No. 42 Worldwide Express Chevrolet this weekend,” begins a statement Hocevar posted on social media. “I’m thankful for Daniel Suárez’s willingness to step up this weekend for our No. 42 team. None of this is possible without the great partnership Niece Motorsports has formed with Worldwide Express and Trackhouse Racing.”

If Hocevar starts the race but cannot complete it due to his ailments, Suárez would take over the #42 during a pit stop, though points earned by the latter would go towards Hocevar’s total. Should he not be able to start at all, Suárez cannot receive points for Hocevar nor himself as he declared for the Cup Series championship. As such, the former strategy will likely be employed by the #42 team to maximise Hocevar’s points winnings, though he can receive an injury waiver from NASCAR to make the playoffs if he would otherwise be eligible.

Hocevar hurt his ankle when he was impacted by Tyler Hill on the final lap at Gateway; although he was able to walk to the ambulance under his own power, the pain was enough to merit hospitalisation. He did not disclose the specifics of the injury beyond the region affected. Save for a brief statement on Sunday, he remained mum on his status for the next few days as he awaited evaluation.

“I didn’t know anything at time, there was a lot of different doctors and a lot of traveling from state to state,” he explained on Reddit, in response to fan concern about his injury potentially being worse than thought. “A lot of info getting withheld from me even to not work myself up. Appreciate the kind words and sorry if anyone might have speculated and assumed the worst. Only today have I been finally cleared. Never had to experience anything like this before and hope to not do it again, very lucky it wasn’t worse as docs assume but certainly not great”.

Reiterating their position as ‘rivals of Toyota Gazoo Racing‘ for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Glickenhaus Racing ended the first night session of the week fastest. Toyota took second and third, with Brendon Hartley charging in the #8 three tenths off the pace setter Romain Dumas.

It wasn’t the most dramatic session for the Hypercars, with Dumas setting the benchmark time of 3:28.900. He took the leading position early on in the session and wasn’t challenged for the top spot by time the chequered flag fell. As this was the first night session of the week, teams and drivers were focusing on getting a feel for their cars in the cooler temperatures of the evening and collecting important data that will see them through the middle seven hours of the race.

The Alpine Elf Team struggled again to stay on pace with its fellow Hypercars, 3.6s off the pace of Dumas. Even in qualifying it struggled to be in the fight at the front, 2.6s off Kamui Kobayashi in the #7. It is looking like, on pace, it will be a two team race for the top step of the podium.

Rene Rast kept the trend of WRT being fastest in LMP2 after his team mate Robin Frjins took the faster class lap in qualifying. After the slower start to the weekend the team seem to be back on the form they have showed so far this season and are certainly in contention to be the ones to beat come Saturday. But it will not be a walk in the park, as United Autosports were once again on their rear win, with the fastest time set by the #22 only two tenths off the reigning class Le Mans winners.

Dries Vanthoor made it a Team WRT one-three with a final lap improvement, going just under a tenth faster than the Cool Racing trio. The #37 had held third in class for most of the two hour session, but was beaten at the last and had to settle for fourth. #9 Prema Orlen Team rounded off the class top five, meaning the top five cars in class were covered by four tenths of a second.

Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN Team Principal Frédéric Vasseur is heading to the Azerbaijan Grand Prix with hopes to continue to move up the field in a season that has proven to be especially competitive. The team currently sits in fifth in the constructors’ standings with McLaren F1 Team ahead and BWT Alpine F1 Team just one point behind. 

Vasseur said that he is pleased with the team’s past results, and wants to build from the success they’ve had by maximising their points totals every weekend.

 “We are heading to Baku with the aim to continue our team’s progression this season. We have done really well so far and we can be satisfied with the results we achieved, but we know we will need to keep working hard in every round to get the most out of each weekend.”

Vasseur emphasised the team’s need to be on top of every session from the first practice to race day, as the Monaco Grand Prix showed just how miniscule the margins between each position have been. 

“We saw in Monaco how the margins are really small: you can go from P6 to P16 in a blink of an eye. This is why we need to be really sharp and make the most of every session, of every lap.”

Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN’s Valtteri Bottas hopes to take advantage of any opportunities that come his way at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, as he looks to continue his run of solid results– having earned points in every race this season but one, where he had retired. 

Bottas emphasized the importance of a “trouble-free weekend” in order to compete at the sharp end of the midfield. He also noted that the team has seen issues come up on Fridays in past weekends, and by working to solve these problems, they would be better able to fully optimize their cars and set themselves up for success in Baku.

“Baku is a place with both good and bad memories for me, so I definitely hope to add some more of the pleasant kind this weekend. It’s crucial we can have a trouble-free weekend: we have been having some good results despite some Friday issues so far, and if we were to fix these, we could really see the full potential of our package. We know we can fight towards the front when we do it and it has to be the aim here as well.

“This is a track that can produce some chaotic races so we will need to be ready to make the most of any opportunity. It could be a lot of fun on Sunday.”

“The potential we have is obvious” – Zhou Guanyu

Team-mate Zhou Guanyu also aims for a clean effort in Baku, where he can continue to improve and show the potential of the team to keep moving forward competitively. 

The first hour of qualifying has confirmed two thirds of the grid, whilst the top six in each class will be decided tomorrow during Hyperpole. Michael Fassbender took the #93 Proton Racing out of contention for a Hyperpole appearance with a big crash on the Mulsanne Straight, bringing out the sole red flag of the session.

With only five cars in the class, all of the Hypercars were guaranteed an appearance in Hyperpole as long as they set a lap time. It was touch and go for the #8 Toyota Gazoo Racing which spent the first half of the session in the garage with right rear repairs. Helped slightly by the red flag, Brendon Hartley set one sole lap in the dry before the rain came, 13 seconds off the pace but importantly, had a lap time on the board.

Returning to the top of the class, Robin Frijns set the fastest lap of LMP2, a lap time that wasn’t challenged throughout the 45 minutes of running (the final 15 minutes all but lost to rain fall). The usual FIA World Endurance Championship suspects of United Autosports, JOTA, Realteam by WRT and Prema Orlen Team filled the top six, taking the Hyperpole spots for tomorrow. The Pro/Am team of TDS Racing / Vaillante put in a great showing with Mathias Beche setting a time good enough for fourth in class and looking like a Pro/Am was going to make it into Hyperpole. Unfortunately for the team, a track limits breech saw them lose their times, dropping them to the back of the grid.

After their incidents in first practice, Vector Sport nor the #45 Algarve Pro managed to make it out on track, failing to set lap times. They will start right at the back of the field with TDS, having it all to do during the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Disputing difficulties of Balance of Performance (BoP), Laurens Vanthoor put the #92 Porsche GT Team at the top of the GTE Pro timing board with a 3:50.999. It was still close between the Porsche and #63 Corvette Racing, and if things stay as they are BoP wise, expect the pair to be battling hard for pole position.