Motorsports Racing News & Blog Articles

Brazilian Roberto Faria has joined the Sauber Academy for 2022, as he prepares for his second full GB3 Championship season.

He will compete with Carlin in GB3, having moved up from the F4 British Championship with Fortec Motorsport in the latter stages of the 2020 season.

Shortly after stepping up to what was then BRDC British F3, he took his first podium at Silverstone at the final round.

His first full season brought nine podiums and a win at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, and caught the eye of Trevor Carlin‘s eponymous Teams’ Champions from down the paddock.

He will compete against Javier Sagrera and Callum Voisin at Carlin, and joins ART Grand Prix‘s FIA Formula 2 title favourite Théo Pourchaire in the Sauber Academy, associated with Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN.

Toto Wolff says it is an exciting time for Formula 1 in 2022 as new aero regulations come into effect, meaning a completely new start and an uncertain pecking order going into the opening round of the season.

The Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team introduced an extreme-looking W13 update to the test at the Bahrain International Circuit last week, with the sidepods of their 2022 machine almost non-existent compared to any of their rivals.

Wolff, the Team Principal at Mercedes, says plenty of progress was made with the development of the W13 in both the tests at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya and in Bahrain, and he feels there is still a lot of potential to unlock from the car this year.

“The start of a new Formula One season is always exciting, and this year more than most,” said Wolff.  “With new technical and sporting regulations, there is so much to learn and discover as this new season begins.

“Barcelona was a productive first test of the W13, then we brought a big update to Bahrain for the pre-season test which resulted from a huge effort by the whole team. We completed good mileage, had solid reliability, and learned a lot about our new car, but it was not a straightforward three days for us.

Kay van Berlo topped the timesheets for the final session ahead of qualifying for the season-opening race at Sebring International Raceway for the 2022 Porsche Carrera Cup North America.

Following the damp start to the day for first practice that say van Berlo at the front, the rain came down once again between the sessions, this meant that track time was limited as competitors chose to limit their running on the bumpy Sebring circuit until the track started to dry.

The Dutchman only took part in fifteen minutes of the session but this was enough for him to set the pace, finishing the final practice with a time of 2:03.441 good enough for the fastest lap and 0.657 seconds ahead of Kelly-Moss Road and Race teammate Riley Dickinson, who had topped the pre-season testing at the Florida track. Trenton Estep brought the MDK Motorsports Porsche home in third place.

“It was good session, we only did 15 minutes out of 30 because it started raining heavy before the session started,” explained van Berlo. “But the sun came out straight away, so the track started to drying quickly. We thought it would be a good time to go out when slicks were faster than the rain tyres. I was able to put a pretty good lap down and at the end we were fastest.

“We had a good feeling in the car, we haven’t done many setup changes compared to first practice, just considering the track conditions were not perfect to make a change and then draw any conclusions from that. I don’t know if I would change anything at the moment, I think we’re ready for qualifying.

This weekend’s season opening Bahrain Grand Prix represents a fresh start for the Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN, with two new drivers and a brand new car.

Behind the wheel of the C42 this season is of course former-Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team driver, Valtteri Bottas, and Formula 2 graduate Guanyu Zhou. Zhou’s debut in the sport this weekend will see him become the first-ever Chinese Formula 1 driver, he will be hoping to learn lots alongside the experienced Bottas.

The new technical regulations will give Alfa Romeo hope that they can fight higher up the field, a similar performance to last season would be simply unacceptable for the Swiss-team.

Alfa Romeo Team Principal, Frédéric Vasseur, is very excited for this weekend’s season opener at the Bahrain International Circuit, with the team being more motivated than ever before.

“It’s finally time to start the season and I think we are as eager as anyone to see where everyone really is when it matters. Some may see it as the moment of truth but, in reality, it will still take a few rounds to have a clearer idea of the pecking order. Still, points are on offer on Sunday and we need to do our last bits of homework after the test to make sure we’re in the best possible shape come raceday.

Valtteri Bottas begins a new chapter in his Formula 1 career this weekend, as the Finnish driver prepares for his first race for Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN, at the season opener Bahrain Grand Prix. This isn’t all at Alfa though, as rookie Guanyu Zhou is getting ready to make his debut.

After five successful years at the Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team, Bottas finds himself starting a new challenge of fighting in the midfield, rather than fighting at the front. He’s also got himself a new inexperienced team-mate, Chinese rookie Guanyu Zhou, a very different prospect compared to lining up alongside Lewis Hamilton.

2022 is a big year for Bottas, to not only rejuvenate his F1 career but also to help Alfa Romeo take the next step. Bottas has been impressed by the team, in what is going to be an incredibly long season for them all.

“This race is the start of a new chapter in my career and I am confident I can achieve the goals I set together with the team. I’ve been impressed by the work ethic I’ve found since I first got to Hinwil and by the work we did over the winter: we encountered some issues in testing, but I know we’re on top of them and we can focus on achieving the best possible result on Sunday.

“It’s going to be a long season and it’s still a bit of a question mark in terms of where everyone stands: I think everyone is looking forward to a bit more clarity this weekend! The important thing, however, is that we keep working to unlock all the potential of the C42 and we focus on having a clean weekend: this way, we will maximise our chances to come home with a good result to start our season. I believe in this team and I believe we can achieve so much if we work hard together.”

Oliver White will join Team Redline Racing, alongside previously announced Adam Smalley, under the Duckhams Yuasa Racing with Redline banner for the 2022 Porsche Carrera Cup GB season.

29-year-old White comes from a mixed background of racing, having started his career as a champion in the SAXMAX series, racing a Citroen Saxo VTR. Since then he has been racing in Formula Ford, winning the Champions of Brands title three times and the 2020 Walter Hayes Trophy.

“It’s amazing to get this opportunity. I aim to seize it with both hands and make the most of it,” said White. “I know it’s going to be a steep learning curve, but I am ready for the challenge. I’ve got three quick team-mates, so that helps, as we use each other’s data and try to improve. It speeds up the learning process.

“I wouldn’t look beyond Team Redline Racing as the team is the benchmark in the Carrera Cup GB. They have won loads of championships, the mechanics are all brilliant, I get on well with Simon, and if I am going to do well anywhere, it’s with Team Redline Racing.”

Current Porsche GB Junior driver Adam Smalley was announced for the team last month, he added, “It’s amazing to have Ollie as my team-mate. He’s had a lot of success in Formula Ford over the years and I’ve no doubt he’ll be a very strong competitor. We’ve already developed a close relationship despite the limited testing we’ve done so far and I know we’ll be pushing each other to the maximum.“

This weekend’s season opener for the 2022 FIA Formula 1 World Championship at the Bahrain International Circuit, represents Haas F1 Team’s chance to get back into the midfield, after spending the entirety of last season developing the VF-22.

The American team will be hoping that their decision to effectively sacrifice the 2021 season, will be rewarded this weekend at the Bahrain Grand Prix, as the team look to start the season the best way possible, by finishing in the points.

Haas have been very busy as of late not only with pre-season testing, but also with replacing Nikita Mazepin. Popular Danish driver Kevin Magnussen, who spent four years driving for Haas before being replaced for 2021, makes his highly-anticipated return to the team this weekend, alongside Mick Schumacher.

Haas now have an experienced driver in the form of Magnussen alongside the youth of Schumacher, who is entering his second season in Formula 1. Haas Team Principal, Guenther Steiner believes that the Danish driver still has some youth left in him, but that his experience will enable him to be a leader for the team.

“I would say Kevin also has youth to him still, he’s not even 30. We’ve got one experienced young guy and one really young guy who needs a bit more experience. The strength of Kevin is he’s been through ups and downs in his career which has made him a lot tougher but he’s well prepared for this challenge. Mick is someone who wants success, whatever work it takes or how hard he needs to push himself to be as good as Kevin, and Kevin can be a good leader in the team because he’s more seasoned than Mick. I think we have a good pair at Haas now.”

After a year away from the sport, Kevin Magnussen makes his highly-anticipated return to Formula 1 this weekend, as the 2022 season kicks-off with the Bahrain Grand Prix at the Bahrain International Circuit.

Magnussen is a late arrival to this season’s grid, after being chosen to replace Nikita Mazepin at the Haas F1 Team, where Magnussen has spent four seasons. In only a year so much has changed for the Danish driver, the team has new faces, including a new team-mate for him in the form of Mick Schumacher, as well as a whole new generation of car to get used to.

Magnussen is overwhelmed with being back at the American team, as he and the entire camp are excited for the season ahead.

“Coming back to the team felt very natural. There are new faces in the team which is exciting and good to see as it shows that the team has been growing since I left. You can really feel that there is an upwards trend of growth in the team which is positive and just the atmosphere was super good. Everyone is excited for this new season.”

Due to the lateness of the decision, Magnussen has missed the vast majority of pre-season, theoretically putting him on the back foot ahead of this weekend. Magnussen is simply aiming to finish the race this weekend and to start the season on a positive note.

Kelly-Moss Road and Race‘s Kay van Berlo topped the opening practice session of the 2022 Porsche Carrera Cup North America as the Florida sun gave way for rain overnight at Sebring International Raceway.

JDX Racing‘s Parker Thompson set the benchmark, recording the first timed lap van Berlo set the pace early in the session, fighting over the top of the time sheets with 311RS Motorsport‘s Leh Keen and MDK Motorsports Trenton Estep.

The Dutch driver finished the session with a time of 2:03.251, the damp track seeing drivers one second off of the pace they were setting in pre-season two-day test at Sebring.

“It was a good first Free Practice, it was only 30 minutes as it was red flagged early, we were the first session out on track after the rain last night, and it was a little bit damp in the beginning,” explained van Berlo to The Checkered Flag.

“I got a feel for the car and for the track for the first couple of laps, and then slowly started pushing to see where we were balance wise and what the general feeling was.

JDX Racing have renewed their contract with Parker Thompson to drive the #9 Byers Porsche / Shell TapUp / Sugere / Renier Construction Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car in the upcoming season of the Porsche Carrera Cup North America, which gets underway at Sebring International Raceway this week.

Both Thompson and JDX Racing have been working hard over the off-season as they aim to build on their thirteen top-five finishes, including eight podium finishes and three race wins in 2021.

Prior to the Porsche Carrera Cup North America’s debut season, Thompson and JDX Racing participated in the Porsche GT3 Cup in 2019, collecting five podiums, including one race win, this was before he took a short hiatus from racing in America.

“I couldn’t be prouder to be coming back home to JDX Racing for 2022,” said Thompson. “It’s no secret that we ended 2021 with some unfinished business, so to have the opportunity to get the band back together and reignite what we built last year is really exciting for me.

“It’s also fantastic to welcome Shell Tap Up to the No. 9 car for 2022, along with Surgere, Byers Porsche, and Renier Construction all returning for our run at the Championship.”

Ahead of the 2022 season opener this weekend at the Bahrain International Circuit, both Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One Team drivers, Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll, are expecting an exceptionally tight battle this season between all the teams.

Four-Time World Champion Sebastian Vettel, has seen plenty of regulation changes during his long career in Formula 1, none however are likely to have been as different as the ones which have taken place ahead of this season. This weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix, will give the German his first chance to race the brand-new generation of Formula 1 car.

With his wealth of experience, Vettel may adjust to racing the new cars better than some of the younger drivers, nevertheless he is very excited for the long season ahead.

“These new Formula One cars are so incredibly different to their predecessors. We’ve spent the past weeks learning as much about them as we can and I’m looking to racing a ground-effect car for the first time this weekend. Everything is new in Formula One and I think we’re looking at a very tight battle, and some very close gaps, between all the teams. There’s a lot to play for – and that’s F1 at its best.”

“This weekend is a real step into the unknown” – Lance Stroll

Lance Stroll like every other driver in the field, is entering somewhat of an unknown this weekend. A strong start to the season will be key for the Canadian, if he is wanting to push himself into the top ten of the Drivers’ Championship.

FIA World Endurance Championship‘s official fuel supplier TotalEnergies will debut its 100% renewable fuel at this weekend’s 1,000 Miles of Sebring.

Making their first stance in eco-friendly racing, the entire WEC field will run Excellium Racing 100. The biofuel is created without using any oil, but instead recycled residual biomass from the wine industry, showing that it is possible to create biofuels without using up more natural resources like plants. The greenhouse gas emissions savings of Excellium is at least 65% when compared to traditional fossil fuels, meeting the requirements of the FIA, car manufacturers and European directive on renewable energies.

TotalEnergies has been working on this biofuel for eighteen months to create this formula of wine residues, ETBE (Ethyl Tertiary Butyl Ether) – itself a 100% renewable component – and a pack of additives from Excellium technology. The application of this 100% renewable fuel in a race series is a huge step in the right direction for eco-friendly racing and the ability to keep motorsport going whilst also doing its part to protect the planet.

“We are particularly proud to introduce this 100% renewable fuel in competition,” Pierre-Gautier Caloni, Vice President of TotalEnergies’ motorsport division said. “It is a major milestone in the partnership between TotalEnergies and the Automobile Club de L’Ouest, whose strategy of promoting sustainable development is in line with our Company’s ambition to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, together with society.”

Frédéric Lequien, CEO of the WEC added: “We are delighted to be the first global motorsport championship in which every competitor will run on 100% renewable fuel. The new Excellium Racing 100 fuel from TotalEnergies will significantly reduce the carbon footprint of our series and our partnership with TotalEnergies allows us to be a pioneer in this field.”

The FIA World Endurance Championship safety cars will be based off of the Porsche 911 Turbo S and be seen on track for the first time at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps.

The modified 911s have a zero to 100 km/h in 2.7 seconds and a top speed of 330 km/h, making them able to keep up with the Hypercars and provide enough speed in a safety car period not to be detrimental to the following cars. On board they will also be fitted with state of the art data and transmission technology, lighting signal system, two additional monitors in the cockpit and a specialised suspension system.

Pedro Couceiro and Yannick Dalmas remain on board as the official WEC safety car drivers.

Dressed in the familiar black and red Porsche livery, the new safety cars will be in attendace at every WEC race, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans where three cars will be stationed around the track. Due to the 13.6km race track, Le Mans has special rules that sees three safety cars deployed at the same time and three packs of cars created.

“Supplying the safety cars is one aspect of our trusting collaboration with the FIA WEC organisation and the Le Mans organisers ACO,” says Alexander Stehlig, Director of Factory Motorsport at the WEC. “We’re delighted that from this year we’ll witness the extremely powerful and fast 911 Turbo S in action for incidents out on the track.” 

After one of the best and most controversial seasons in the history of the sport, the new 2022 FIA Formula 1 World Championship season is just days away and will begin with the Bahrain Grand Prix.

The Bahrain International Circuit (which is sometimes referred to as “Sakhir” after the area where it is located), was constructed at a cost of $150m ahead of the inaugural Bahrain Grand Prix in 2004 and became the first Middle Eastern track to host a Formula 1 race.

There are six layouts, including the 5.412km Grand Prix circuit that consists of 15 corners, that has been used for all but one of the 15 Bahrain Grand Prix races held to date. The exception was in 2010 when the race was staged on the 6.299km “Endurance” layout of the Circuit with 24 corners. The race was remembered for Fernando Alonso winning on his debut with Ferrari.

However In 2020, Formula 1 staged back to back races in Bahrain. The second race, known as the Sakhir Grand Prix, was run on the much shorter 3.543km circuit with just 11 turns to create more opportunities for overtaking. This race saw George Russell make his debut for Mercedes due to Lewis Hamilton testing positive for Covid 19. Russell looked on course to get his first win in Formula 1 but due to a pit lane mix up and a puncture, it ruined his chances of winning and Sergio Perez went on to claim his first win in the championship.

What happened over the three days of Testing at Bahrain?

Coming into testing at Bahrain, there were questions over whether the teams would make any significant changes to the looks and performance of their cars from testing in Barcelona.

Porsche Carrera Cup GB race winner Jamie Orton will join Seb Hopkins in the British GT Championship, competing in a brand-new Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport with Team Parker Racing.

Orton has been a regular on the Carrera Cup grid for the last four seasons, claiming five victories in the Pro-Am class along with a third place finish in the class in 2018. Outside of Porsche’s he won the 2011 Caterham Superlight Championship and finished third in the Ginetta GT4 Supercup in 2015.

While the British GT season is still a month away, Orton and Hopkins have been busy testing the 718 Cayman GT RS Clubsport in Portugal in February.

“I’m really looking forward to being in the British GT Championship and driving the new GT4 Cayman with Team Parker Racing.” said Orton. “Seb is a nice guy and just getting started in his motorsport career.

“We’ve tested in Portugal recently, which was a good chance to get to know him and everyone at Team Parker Racing. I’ve spent many years racing against them, and they’ve had a lot of success in recent years, so it will be good to get a chance to race for them.