3c continuation of leave pending variation decision

Lewis Hamilton decided to have a bit of fun with Sergio Perez after he refused to be drawn on whether he agreed with Max Verstappen only being reprimanded for his Singapore impeding incidents. Verstappen was summoned by the stewards after Singapore Grand Prix qualifying over three instances of impeding, including what appeared to be a slam dunk with Yuki Tsunado as well as one in the pit lane where the Red Bull driver remained stationary for several seconds at the exit as the light went green. The stewards only saw fit to hand out a pair of reprimands plus a €5000 fine for Red Bull, despite a precedent seemingly having been set earlier in the season of three-place grid penalties in response to impeding incidents. Lewis Hamilton teases Sergio Perez who has “nothing to say” During the pre-Japanese Grand Prix press conference, several drivers were asked for their take on the Verstappen verdicts, and whether they were concerned over the consistency of decision making from the … [Read more...] about Lewis Hamilton teases Sergio Perez after non-answer on Max Verstappen reprimands

Although the Spaniard has recently been speaking about his intention, or rather hope, to reveal where he will race in 2024 during this weekend's grand prix at Motegi, there is no certainty that by the end of the race on Sunday he will have been able to resolve the dispute he created for himself by wanting to leave Honda one season before the contract he signed at the beginning of 2020 expires. Marquez landed in Japan on Tuesday morning. On Wednesday, he is scheduled to attend an event at Honda's engineering school in Tokyo. Given his sporting situation, one of his main objectives is to sit down with the manufacturer's executives, with whom he hopes to be able to agree on an amicable parting of ways. That meeting will most likely not take place until the weekend at Motegi, where the top brass of Honda Motor, the parent company, is expected to be present. That top brass, led by Shiniji Aoyama - the two-wheeled division's most senior boss - will be at the circuit. Koji Watanabe, … [Read more...] about Why Honda MotoGP team wouldn’t block Marc Marquez’s exit

Earlier this month, Toyota wrapped up this year’s World Endurance Championship manufacturers’ crown with another convincing display on home turf at Fuji. It marks the fifth time in a row, and sixth in total, it has come away with the silverware, including the occasions when a teams’ title was awarded instead of a manufacturers’. Pending the outcome of the final round of the season in Bahrain, Toyota could feasibly come away with a clean sweep of wins barring the Le Mans 24 Hours, where a contentious pre-event Balance of Performance change handed the initiative to Ferrari. Toyota has come a long way since the beginning of its current WEC programme, which began in 2012 with the TS030 HYBRID LMP1 - which was followed up by the TS040 and TS050, and then in 2021 by the GR010 HYBRID built to Le Mans Hypercar rules. But while its rise from underdog against the likes of Porsche and Audi to the dominant force fans know today is well documented, less well known is how a privateer … [Read more...] about How Japan’s underdog LMP1 helped start Toyota WEC juggernaut

This week 40 years ago, an Italian fashion label signed a deal which began one of the most successful, influential and colourful sponsorship programmes in Formula 1 history. Benetton’s entry into F1 with Tyrrell was successful from the outset, but the brand aspired to do more than just put its stickers on an F1 car. Within three years it had a team of its own and was winning races as a constructor, and in time it enjoyed championship-winning success with one of F1’s all-time great drivers. The idea a brand that was ‘just a T-shirt manufacturer’ could succeed in F1 was greeted with scepticism with some on their arrival. But Benetton soon disproved the doubters and inspired other brands to do the same – notably the soft drink producer which goes into the 2023 season as defending champions. 1983: Tyrrell Plucky underdogs Tyrrell had Denim logos on their cars when Michele Alboreto won the 1982 season finale at Las Vegas. But Luciano Benetton refused to share space on their car with … [Read more...] about Benetton, 40 years on: How a fashion label conquered Formula 1

The 2019 world champion is out of contract for next season having penned a one-year deal with M-Sport Ford for the 2023 campaign, after leaving Hyundai with a year remaining on his contract. Tanak has endured a difficult return to the Ford squad that offered him his first full-time WRC season in 2012. The Estonian claimed victory in Sweden and finished second in Croatia, although those results are his only visits to the podium to date this year. Tanak says he wishes to continue competing in the WRC next year while M-Sport is hoping to secure his services for 2024. However, M-Sport bosses have admitted it won’t be a straightforward decision to keep Tanak. The British team’s future at rallying’s highest level next year has been questioned, although boss Malcolm Wilson says the squad has no intention to stop competing in Rally1 in 2024. Tanak revealed in Greece he’s had discussions with all WRC teams but admitted it is “difficult' to know how his future will pan out. … [Read more...] about Tanak in talks but WRC 2024 future yet to be decided

Max Verstappen and Red Bull winning Formula 1’s 2023 Japanese Grand Prix by a commanding 19.4-second margin might sound a very familiar tale, but this was coming one week on from their shock defeat in the Singapore race. There was therefore plenty of attention being paid to the potential true impact of the twin technical directives now in force covering flexing wings and floors. But Red Bull utterly rebuffed this intrigue with its RB19’s display back at a smooth, sweeping course where the car was designed to thrive. His usual advantage restored, Verstappen was devastatingly good, while team-mate Sergio Perez had another poor weekend. McLaren took up the chase, with Ferrari slipping back to third quickest but showing good progress in an important area. Then there were a few themes of the Singapore weekend cropping up again, plus the latest on Daniel Ricciardo ’s injury recovery, the final moves in the driver market and a bizarre Alpine team orders spat. All that … [Read more...] about 10 things we learned from the 2023 F1 Japanese Grand Prix

Months of uncertainty marred the build-up to MotoGP’s inaugural Indian adventure at the Buddh International Circuit, as requested track works had only recently been completed. Homologation was made official only on the Thursday of the grand prix, while the riders had already decided to unite if they felt the safety standards of the venue were not up to scratch. Thankfully, everything went off without too many problems and MotoGP’s first Indian GP was a truly memorable affair. VR46’s Marco Bezzecchi positioned himself as a genuine championship threat with a dominant grand prix victory, while Jorge Martin’s consistency continued. A mistake for championship leader Francesco Bagnaia in Sunday’s race wiped out his championship advantage, bringing to just 13 points as Martin fought through dehydration to finish second. Elsewhere, the Japanese manufacturers put on a strong showing as Fabio Quartararo scored his first grand prix podium since Austin, while Joan Mir ended … [Read more...] about 10 things we learned from the 2023 MotoGP Indian Grand Prix

BILD Formula 1 reporter Silja Rulle does not foresee Sebastian Vettel returning to racing as a full-time driver. Vettel made the decision to call time on his Formula 1 career at the end of 2022, the four-time World Champion bowing out off the back of two seasons with Aston Martin. But, a recent interview with Sky F1’s Martin Brundle has sparked speculation that Vettel may not be finished with Formula 1 yet, with Vettel having said that he cannot rule out the prospect of him racing in the series again. Doubt over full-time Sebastian Vettel return However, when appearing on the F1 Nation podcast pre-Japanese Grand Prix, where Vettel was in attendance to work alongside F1 personnel on a fresh environmental project, Rulle said she does not believe a full-time racing comeback would appeal to Vettel. Jota team principal Sam Hignett recently confirmed talks with Vettel over a 2024 World Endurance Championship drive. “A comeback always depends on come back as what?” she said. … [Read more...] about Doubts emerge over Sebastian Vettel’s full-time racing comeback

Despite a dramatic opening lap and conditions that were constantly changing, Fuji International Speedway provided yet another outstanding round of the GT Asia Series, and with it, the fifth different race winning combination of the year, although the round was undeniably the domain of Ferrari, with the Italian marque claiming a podium lockout. Ultimately it was the two teams that had dominated since Thursday’s opening practice that featured at the top of the podium - the #1 Clearwater Racing Ferrari of Mok Weng Sun and Ferrari WEC factory star Toni Vilander, and GT Asia rookies TP12 Racing, with Carlo Van Dam and Piti Bhirom Bhakdi that kept the big local crowd entertained, the two teams battling from lap one, to the conclusion of the 60-minute opening race. With a 60-minute grid walk scheduled for the fans, teams endured a tough wait as intermittent rain swept across the circuit, although without making the track surface significantly wet. It cleared just prior to the … [Read more...] about TP12 Racing take maiden GT Asia Series victory in Fuji