Motorsports Racing News & Blog Articles

Driver Nico Hülkenberg will compete for Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber for the following Formula One season and beyond, having signed a multi-year contract that extends at least until 2026. In that year, he will become the first driver for Audi’s entry into the top class of motorsport. With experience from over 200 F1 races, Nico is an essential building block for the continuing successful development of the team. In parallel to his commitments for Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber in the 2025 season, he will be closely involved in developing Audi’s first F1 car for 2026.

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“We are thrilled to welcome Nico Hülkenberg back to Hinwil from 2025 and to compete with him in Formula One. His speed, experience, and commitment to teamwork will be instrumental in our team’s transformation and Audi’s F1 project,” said Andreas Seidl, CEO of Sauber Motorsport AG and the future Audi F1 factory team. The decision to work together has not been taken lightly. There was a strong mutual interest in building something long-term from the outset. Nico’s return to Sauber, a team he has previously worked with and has a solid connection to, is a strategic move that underlines our commitment to success. His strong personality and professional and personal input will undoubtedly help us progress in car development and team building.

Nico Hülkenberg is one of the most accomplished drivers in Formula One. He has repeatedly proven his ability to establish himself quickly in a new environment and tackle new challenges with determination. This is not his first encounter with the team. “I’m returning to the team I worked with back in 2013 and have fond memories of the strong team spirit in Switzerland,” said the racing driver from Emmerich-am-Rhein. “The prospect of competing for Audi is something extraordinary. When a German manufacturer enters Formula One with determination, it is a unique opportunity. To represent the factory team of such a car brand with a power unit made in Germany is a great honour for me.”

Nico proved his talent early on with four titles between 2005 and 2009 in the most critical single-seater junior categories. In 2008, he attracted attention during test drives in Formula One before making his debut in 2010, competing in more than 200 races for seven different Formula One teams. He has achieved numerous podium finishes and has consistently performed throughout his career. In an unusual move for his generation of drivers, Nico competed in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) during an ongoing Formula One season in 2015, winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans on his debut. His team principal at the time was Andreas Seidl. All is set for a reunion.

Nico Hulkenberg has been officially confirmed as a driver for Stake next season as the Swiss team prepares to morph into Audi in 2026.

Formula 1 has announced the "Formula 1 Channel", a 24/7, subscription-free streaming channel for fans in the USA.

Prema Racing, the Italy-based single-seater powerhouse, announced that it would be teaming with Chevrolet for two full-time IndyCar Series entries earlier this month. The move puts the potential car count for 2025 at 29, the largest amount of full-time entries in the modern era of American open-wheel racing. Prema is known for its entries into various European junior single-seater series, most notably FIA’s Formula 2 and Formula 3 feeder series. In 2022, the organization expanded into sports car territory with two entries into the FIA World Endurance Championship.

Now, the Italian outfit has expanded into North America for the first time in its four-decade history.

“It is a new challenge for us.” said team owner Rene Rosin. “We always looking to find new adventures, new possibilities to expand not only for our drivers but for mechanics, engineers. Given the opportunity to grow up within our structure and our business is something that we always look forward to.”

Rosin and the rest of the Prema team aren’t the only ones excited about the move. IndyCar president Jay Frye says the series can’t wait for a new, high-level team to join the field.

“One of the goals was to recruit new and elite race teams and owners, that type of thing. Obviously, 80 championships in 40 years, that’s pretty elite. We’re certainly thrilled to have them.” “We’ve been talking with them for the last six, eight months. We worked on the plan, let them see what it looks like going forward. We’re really excited to have them.”

As speculation mounts, Red Bull claims that it is unaware that Adrian Newey is to leave the Austrian outfit for another team.

We're jazzing up white label websites to give attendees a smoother experience. Check out what's coming soon:

Today's meeting of the F1 Commission saw the sport fail to reach agreement on a revision of the points system.

McLaren boss, Andrea Stella claims that the Woking team's remarkable turnaround last season is making it look as though it is losing ground to Red Bull this year.

The Ferrari AF Corse Hypercar drivers have reflected on what could have been after a disappointing result in their home race at the 6 Hours of Imola. The Italian team headed into the second round of the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) with high hopes but ultimately left Imola empty handed.

The three Ferraris lead the charge at the start of the 6 Hours of Imola. Credit: Ferrari Media Centre

The Scuderia started strong. They topped all three practise sessions before putting on a dominant display in qualifying, where all three Ferrari 499Ps locked out the top three positions on the grid. In the race, the pace was strong until the rain came. Ferrari ran a different strategy to Toyota Gazoo Racing, who pitted as soon as the rain came to switch to wet tyres. Ferrari continued on slicks, a seemingly masterful move as the rain wasn’t particularly heavy and confined to one area of the track. However, after a few laps, their courage failed and they switched to wets too late, handing the advantage to Toyota who ultimately went on to win the race.

One of the driver team in the #51 car, Alessandro Pier Guidi was understandably frustrated. “Unfortunately, we’re commenting on a final result that doesn’t reflect the potential of our cars” Pier Guidi said. “Finishing off the podium in front of the many fans who supported us here at Imola is disappointing. We made an excellent start and managed the first half of the race well. We understand the nature of motorsport, where joy can sometimes swiftly turn into disappointment. So, we leave Imola aware of our potential and recognise the need to continue improving. We’re already looking ahead to the next event at Spa in May, aiming to achieve a strong result.“

The #50 Ferrari in the rain that changed everything. Credit: Julien Delfosse / DPPI

Nicklas Nielsen, one of the drivers for the pole-sitting #50 car, was equally disappointed, saying “The race showed promise at the start, with a strong pace in the opening hours. However, the weather changed, and we could not finish the 6 Hours of Imola as we’d liked. At the end of the day, we can’t be entirely satisfied. We’ll aim to gather valuable insights from this race to improve our performance and return determined to do our best as of the next race at Spa.”

The #50 car in the hands of Antonio Fuoco delivered a stellar performance after the pit strategy error played out. Fuoco managed to fight his way back up to 4th, delivering the fastest lap of the race on lap 203 out of 205. Unlike Toyota, who managed to secure victory despite not having the fastest car, Ferrari now need to work on maximising the potential and not throwing a result away due to strategic errors.

Admitting that the team was to blame for Lewis Hamilton's failure to make it out of Q1 in China, James Allison says the team needs to cure an instability issue with the 2024 contender.

Ukrainian Trophy-Raid Championship regular Mykhailo Svirgun was kiled in action while serving with the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Before the Russian invasion began in 2022, Svirgun competed in the series as a co-driver during the late 2010s. A Kharkiv native, he was part of the local Bilka off-road team and thus worked alongside drivers like fellow residents Serhiy Tarasov.

Tarasov and Svirgun mainly raced a Toyota Land Cruiser or a UAZ-469 in the TR2 class. Prior to the series’ pause by COVID-19 in 2020, the duo enjoyed podiums at rounds like the 2019 Polissya Trophy, the second race of the season held in Kyiv.

With Bilka, he was a popular face in the off-roading and Jeep community.

“Mykhailo Mykhailovych Svirgun, the navigator of the ‘star’ Kharkiv crew ‘Belka’, died defending Ukraine from the Russian-fascist invaders,” reads a statement from the Automobile Federation of Ukraine. “A wife and two children were left without a husband and father…

In a surprise announcement Wednesday, IndyCar announced that Team Penske has been assessed penalties following an issue with the team’s “Push to Pass” system discovered during morning warmup on Sunday in Long Beach. Winner Josef Newgarden and third-place finisher Scott McLaughlin are both disqualified from the season opener at St. Petersburg in March, with teammate Will Power promoted to second place but penalized 10 driver points. Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward, who originally finished in second place, is now the official winner – his first win since Iowa in 2022.

Officials determined that all three cars used the “Push to Pass” system on race starts and restarts, which is not allowed under Rule 14.19.16 of the IndyCar Series rulebook. Investigation showed that Newgarden’s No. 2 and McLaughlin’s No. 3 gained a competitive advantage with the violation, whereas Power did not, resulting in the 2022 champion keeping his position.

Team Penske president Tim Cindric responded, saying it was a mistake related to recent hybrid testing, and that the team will not appeal:

In the top five, O’Ward and Power are joined by Colton Herta, Alex Palou, and Felix Rosenqvist. Newgarden, who previously led the championship standings, is now in 11th with McLaughlin down in 29th. Scott Dixon, who won in Long Beach, now leads the standings, followed by Herta, Palou, O’Ward, and Power.

Ferrari and HP Inc. have forged a momentous, multi-year title partnership, uniting two of the world’s most renowned companies. This collaboration signifies a shared dedication to propel sustainable innovation and expedite purposeful technology across the Scuderia Ferrari Formula 1 team, the Scuderia Ferrari Esports team, and the Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy. 

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In addition, the HP logo will debut on the Maranello F1 cars ahead of the Miami Grand Prix, scheduled for May 3-5, when the team will start competing as Scuderia Ferrari HP. The Scuderia Ferrari Esports team and the Scuderia Ferrari car driven by Maya Weug in the all-female F1 Academy series, launched in 2023, will also race using the new moniker. 

Uniting heritage and purpose for a more significant impact

Ferrari and HP are committed to accelerating sustainable innovation through technology or sport. The companies will also collaborate to expand educational initiatives within their teams and communities and create a lasting impact for future generations.

Powering the teams through technology

As a vital aspect of this alliance, integrating HP’s cutting-edge products and services, such as adaptive PCs and devices, conferencing technology, and printing capabilities, will empower Scuderia Ferrari HP and the other racing teams of the Prancing Horse. This integration will supercharge training precision and optimize strategic decision-making on and off the track.

H. Moser & Cie. presents the Streamliner Cylindrical Tourbillon Skeleton Alpine Limited Edition, the first fruit of its collaboration with Alpine Motorsports. For this timepiece symbolising the union between the two brands, H. Moser & Cie. wanted to create a design attuned to the aesthetic tastes of the stable’s F1 drivers and endurance racing team: fine engineering visible from every angle, a bold character, a touch of colour, and a comfortable strap which fits all wrists and is made from rubber for guaranteed durability. The result is a roaring success: an entirely chiselled three-dimensional sculptural watch which looks spectacular and is perfect for everyday wear thanks to its balanced proportions and 12 ATM water resistance.

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H. Moser & Cie. chose its flagship Streamliner collection for the first model in its partnership with Alpine Motorsport. It is a very fitting choice if you think of the high-speed trains that inspired both the name and the curves of this line. And, for the occasion, the Manufacture has removed all superfluous material, creating a fully skeletonised version that enables the movement to be admired from every angle. Embodying precision and exceptional engineering, the Streamliner Cylindrical Tourbillon Skeleton Alpine Limited Edition is an ode to transparency and three-dimensionality. At the heart of this timepiece is a one-minute flying tourbillon fitted with a cylindrical hairspring at 6 o’clock, showcasing the expertise of H. Moser & Cie.’s sister company, Precision Engineering AG. Invented in the 18th century, the cylindrical hairspring rises perpendicularly around the upper stem of the balance spindle. A frequent feature of marine chronometers at the time, it offered the advantage of being developed concentrically. The cylindrical hairspring – fitted with two Breguet overcoils attached at two points – reduces the friction of the pivots and improves the isochronism properties, all the more so if the hairspring is combined with a tourbillon, as is the case here. Nowadays, the cylindrical hairspring is challenging to produce because it requires expertise that has been lost. Each cylindrical hairspring is shaped by hand, which takes ten times as long as a traditional hairspring. H. Moser & Cie. loves to play with contrasts, and here, the brand has enjoyed combining traditional expertise with an ultra-modern watch.

At noon, the skeletonised main dial is topped with a slightly translucent domed dial, following the curve of the sapphire crystal and sporting the signature blue colour of H. Moser & Cie. and Alpine Motorsports in a bright and distinctive shade thanks to the clarity of the synthetic spinel used. Synthetic spinel is very high quality and difficult to machine, bringing intensity and added value to the watch. The Streamliner Cylindrical Tourbillon Skeleton Alpine Limited Edition is designed for discerning connoisseurs, thanks to its timeless elegance and understated sophistication. With no logo, it features only a discreet engraving of the brand names on the reverse side, underlining its exclusivity and pure minimalist look. The indices feature Super- Luminova®, while the inserts which top the hour and minute hands are made in Globolight®, guaranteeing perfect legibility even at night. As for the strap, H. Moser & Cie. has opted for a blue moulded rubber strap, which imitates the texture of a textile strap, prioritising comfort without compromising sophistication.

The automatic calibre HMC 811 is fully skeletonised on both the front and reverse sides, where a sizeable openworked gold rotor can be seen oscillating. The beauty of this movement is further enhanced by the lightness of the flying tourbillon, which twirls gracefully under the sapphire crystal.

Team principal and driver of the #7 Toyota Gazoo Racing car, Kamui Kobayashi has paid tribute to the superb effort that was put in by the whole team to secure victory in the Hypercar class at the 6 Hours of Imola. After a tough race full of twists and turns, the #7 car triumphed in the second round of the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), propelling the drivers to 2nd in the championship and Toyota to second in the manufacturers’ championship.

“It was a very tough race and to win here is absolutely phenomenal. Our car was not the fastest this week but the team performed so well” Kobayashi admitted. He paid tribute to his fellow drivers, Mike Conway and Nyck de Vries for getting them into contention from qualifying in 6th. “There was big pressure from the start of my stint; I was in the lead on slick tyres in the rain. We made the right call to switch tyres and build a gap, then we kept good pace on the wet tyres.“

The winning #7 Toyota pushed all the way by the 2nd place #6 Porsche Penske Motorsport. Credit: Toyota Gazoo Racing

Not only did the rain cause strategy headaches, so too did the fuel levels come the final stages of the race. “We were not sure about fuel so we started to save energy and I gave everything, it was very tough” explained Kobayashi. He was being hunted down by the very rapid #6 Porsche Penske Motorsport car while trying to save fuel simultaneously. Ever humble, Kobayashi played down his part in the victory, saying “the team did a great effort in terms of strategy and that gave us the chance to fight for the win. Thanks to the everyone for their fantastic work here.”

Kobayashi gets ready for his race winning stint. Credit: Julien Delfosse / DPPI

Mike Conway, driver of the #7 car for the opening stint of the race, was quick to praise his teammate. “It was really tense all the way to the end” the British driver said. “Kamui did a great job at the end to stay ahead whilst saving energy. As always the pressure doesn’t affect him; I think my heart rate in the garage was higher than his in the car!“

Reflecting on his own performance, Conway said “at the start I stayed out of trouble and tried to move forwards. I had a lot of fun and I enjoyed my first time racing here.” He also praised the team, saying “the crew did a great job in the pits and the strategy couldn’t have been any better. Congratulations to the whole team and everyone at Toyota.“

Ferrari and HP have confirmed a multi-year title partnership, with the technology giant's logo appearing on the cars from next weekend in Miami.

1979 world champion, and arguably one of the finest drivers to grace motorsport, Mario Andretti is incensed at the sport's attitude towards his son's proposed F1 team.

Ferrari looks set to announce a title sponsor for 2025, the first time the Maranello outfit has sported a title sponsor since 2021.

Visa Cash App RB Formula One Team is thrilled to announce a groundbreaking technical partnership with Roboze, the global leader in 3D printing of high-performance composite materials. This collaboration aims to revolutionize the production of end-use parts for our single-seaters, offering unique benefits such as weight reduction and creating parts with previously impossible geometries with other techniques.

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Visa Cash App RB, a renowned name in the Formula 1 World Championship, is proud to announce a strategic technical partnership with Roboze, the Italian company that is a global leader in high-performance 3D printing of composites. This collaboration signifies a new era in using advanced materials to produce critical components for racing vehicles, leveraging Roboze’s unmatched expertise in the field.

Visa Cash App RB has already been implementing and integrating Roboze technology in developing its single-seaters for several months and will continue to use it throughout the season. The goal is to produce parts that are impossible to make with other production methods due to incredibly complex geometries, made possible by the Italian company’s additive manufacturing technique for composites. This technique also aims to replace metal parts to reduce weight.

The primary objective of this partnership is to develop and implement ultralight yet incredibly durable components. These components, designed to maximize the performance of the single-seaters, will be made possible through the innovative use of advanced composite materials. Among the various products offered by Roboze, Carbon PEEK, a material based on a super polymer loaded with carbon fibres, has been selected for its superior thermal and mechanical resistance characteristics. This choice will enable the Visa Cash App RB F1 team to achieve significant weight reductions, improvements in aerodynamic efficiency, and an increase in the cars’ structural strength, thereby enhancing their performance on the track.

After last racing before COVID-19, Show Aikawa‘s FLEX SHOW AIKAWA Racing will make their return to the Asia Cross Country Rally in August. The team will field a Toyota Land Cruiser 150 Prado for himself and Masato Kawabata with Daychapong Toicharoen as co-driver.

Kawabata and Toicharoen currently compete in D1 Grand Prix, the former a three-time champion with titles in 2007, 2013, and 2015. Toicharoen hails from Thailand, where the AXCR takes place, but is fluent in Japanese. In 2023, Kawabata finished ninth in the top-level D1GP standings while Toicharoen raced a part-time schedule.

In 2019, Kawabata finished second overall in his AXCR début. AIKAWA Racing first appeared at the rally the year prior, finishing sixteenth with Aikawa, Kinya Miyamoto, and Takahiro Yasui.

Although they did not return to the AXCR after the onset of the pandemic, Aikawa kept the programme alive by competing in the XCR Sprint Cup and Rally Hokkaido, both of which Kawabata won in 2023. Aikawa himself also runs rallies in a Toyota Yaris from Toyota Gazoo Racing. Due to timing, the team will not be able to defend their Rally Hokkaido win, though Aikawa plans to field a second car in the future.

“It’s our first Asia Cross Country Rally in five years, so both Kawabata and I are very excited and looking forward to it,” said Aikawa. “We believe that we will make up for the humiliation of 2019 and win our class.”