Getting a driver

Listen to this article 2021 Prototype Challenge champion Dickerson, 2021 Twelve Hours of Sebring polesitter Lindh and 2014 Indy Lights champion Chaves will partner with Andretti who finished fifth in the LMP3 standings of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in 2022, having won Petit Le Mans. The #36 Andretti Autosport Ligier JS P320’s primary sponsorship will again come from Gallant Building Services. Said Andretti: “We had a good run at Daytona going last year, being on the pole and then leading early in the race and now we have the momentum from our Petit Le Mans victory last season to carry with us. With familiar faces returning in our driver lineup, we have a great opportunity to contend for the win.” Added Chaves: “There has been a lot of work put in during all of 2022 and we started seeing the results at the end of the season, so to be able to come back with the team and keep building on that starting at Daytona and then the rest of the championship is going … [Read more...] about Andretti reveals rising stars as co-drivers for Rolex 24

Listen to this article The fast and flowing gravel roads of New Zealand have long been a hit with rally drivers but only three of the current WRC Rally1 roster can boast experience of the country’s famous roads. Eight-time world champion Sebastien Ogier, who has re-joined Toyota for New Zealand, threw away what would have been a maiden WRC win in 2010, while Hyundai duo Thierry Neuville and Ott Tanak featured in the last edition of the rally in 2012. As a result, several drivers have resorted to scoring YouTube videos and even computer games to help with their preparation in the lead up to the event. Toyota’s Elfyn Evans admitted he went on a “YouTube hunt’ for footage and onboards to help ready himself. “It has been a bit of a YouTube hunt and whatever we get from the organisers," Evans told Motorsport.com. “It always looks like slightly different from real life to how it does on the videos. It is not so different but it is very difficult to try and learn the … [Read more...] about WRC drivers turn to YouTube to help with Rally NZ prep

Listen to this article One of the star junior formula teams of the past decade, Juncos Racing made its IndyCar debut with a two-car effort in the 2017 Indy 500, and last year ran a single entry at 12 of the 17 rounds, driven by its team’s 2017 Indy Lights champion Kyle Kaiser, Rene Binder and Alfonso Celis Jr. However, the team’s planned expansion to two cars for 2019 – albeit run again on a part-time basis – proved overly ambitious, and thus far Juncos can’t guarantee any IndyCar outings beyond the COTA race on Sunday. “Right now it depends on what more we can add with the sponsor we currently have,” Juncos told Motorsport.com. “So I think we’re going to do the Indy 500 but I don’t know 100 percent yet. "That would be with one car… well, maybe with two, but I think one would be better because there are so many things going on with the team.” Juncos Racing currently runs two Indy Pro 2000 cars for Sting Ray Robb and Rasmus Lindh, two Indy Lights cars for Rinus VeeKay … [Read more...] about Juncos still seeking IndyCar sponsors and an IMSA driver

As another Formula 1 season approaches over the horizon, there are another ten driver pairings that are aiming to achieve success throughout 2023. Four of them remain untouched from last season, while six of the teams welcome a new driver into their ranks. But which of the driver combinations on the 2023 F1 grid is the best? Vote for which team you think has the best driver line-up and have your say in the comments. The 2023 F1 team mates Team Driver 1 Driver 2 Notes Red Bull Max Verstappen Sergio Perez The reigning constructors’ champions, Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez combined for 17 wins in total for Red Bull last year. Despite helping Red Bull to their most successful season ever in 2022, Verstappen enjoyed far more of the success than Perez did, with the more experienced driver adding just two wins to the team’s total to Verstappen’s 15 on his way to the title. Ferrari Charles Leclerc Carlos Sainz Jnr Charles Leclerc stormed to an early … [Read more...] about Which team has the best driver line-up on the 2023 F1 grid? · RaceFans

Getting to meet F1 drivers properly is not something I get to do very often. The days of being able to mill around the pits with them are long gone – these days you’re lucky to get a cursory glance and an unintelligible scrawl on your race day programme. But on the rare occasions I have got to exchange words with a driver I?������ve been reminded that it?������s a lot easier to dislike someone until you?������ve met them. Of the current grid I?������ve only seen a few of them ?����ǣ Mark Webber, Ralf Schumacher, Heikki Kovalainen and Nelson Piquet Jnr ?����ǣ and not really been in a position to strike up a conversation. Even so I was impressed by Piquet. I?������d not thought much of his rise through the junior formulae given that most (if not all) of his teams were backed by his dad. I?������d read journalists?������ descriptions of him as surly, but his gracious willingness to sign autographs for a friend of mine convinced me that I?������d been a bit harsh. Similarly … [Read more...] about It?������s hard to dislike drivers once you?������ve met them

The Grand Prix Drivers’ Association has issued a statement explaining how they arrived at the decision to continue the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix following yesterday’s missile strike. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free The FIA and Formula 1 reacted to the explosion 10 kilometres from the Jeddah Corniche Circuit during yesterday’s first practice session by insisting the event would go ahead . Team principals indicated they supported the decision unanimously. However the drivers remained in a meeting at the circuit discussing the event until the small hours of the morning. Several of their team principals returned to join the discussion. As the meeting broke up the consensus appeared to be that the event would continue, despite the concerns that had been aired. GPDA chairman Alexander Wurz issued a statement on behalf of the group saying the drivers had “natural human concerns” over the attack. They aired “a large variety of opinions” in their meeting but … [Read more...] about F1 drivers explain why they agreed to race in Saudi Arabia despite “concerns” over attack · RaceFans

It was a strange race for the front-runners in Abu Dhabi but a more typical affair further back. Here’s how the drivers got on in the final race weekend of the year. Mercedes Lewis Hamilton – Started on the right foot by leading Rosberg in both Friday sessions, despite a brief spin in first practice. He was imperious in qualifying, setting a pace Rosberg simply couldn’t match. Delaying Rosberg was obviously the correct tactics ; the argument he should have driven off and left things alone behind him is unrealistic. So why didn’t it work? Hamilton said slowing Rosberg down any more would have been dangerous , but it appeared he was too cautious about preserving his own position to really jeopardise Rosberg’s. He needed to to push things to the limit, putting himself at risk of being overtaken, and it seemed he couldn’t bring himself to do that. Nico Rosberg – Couldn’t keep up with Hamilton in qualifying but the chasing pack was half a second slower. Hamilton took care … [Read more...] about 2016 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix driver ratings · RaceFans

Max Verstappen took one of the most emphatic Driver of the Weekend victories this year following his scintillating Brazilian Grand Prix performance. His victory in Spain was the only time this year a driver has received a higher share of the vote. A late charge through the field on a rain-soaked track saw the Red Bull driver rise from 16th to 3rd in just 14 laps. Verstappen picked up 68% of the vote to top the poll for the third time this season. Race winner Lewis Hamilton was the only other driver to get a substantial number of votes, taking 16%. Max Verstappen’s Brazilian Grand Prix weekend Kimi Raikkonen . But he soon made amends once the race got going on a soaked circuit. The moment the safety car left the circuit Verstappen wasted no time in diving up the inside of Raikkonen at turn one. Job done, he began his race-long mission to overhaul the Mercedes drivers. When Marcus Ericsson hit the wall on lap 13 Verstappen gambled on a switch to intermediate tyres, but … [Read more...] about Verstappen dominates Brazil Driver of the Weekend · RaceFans

Which F1 driver was the best performer during the Chinese Grand Prix weekend? Review how each driver got on below and vote for who impressed you the most during the last race weekend. Chinese Grand Prix driver-by-driver Mercedes Lewis Hamilton – A handful of off-track moments indicated he was less than happy with the car on Friday. But he might as well have stayed in bed on Saturday as a power unit fault wrecked his qualifying attempt. After picking up front wing damage in the first corner melee Hamilton was still in 21st place when the race restarted. Racing a wounded car once again – Hamilton suspected damage to his suspension as well as aerodynamics, and said the W07 “seemed to be flexing all over the place” – he nonetheless got stuck into the midfield and ran as high as third at one point. However he was forced to use medium tyres for his final stint which confined him to seventh place. Nico Rosberg – With Hamilton compromised and Ferrari tripping up in qualifying, … [Read more...] about Vote for your 2016 Chinese Grand Prix Driver of the Weekend · RaceFans