Virgin Racing will be part owned by Russian specialist car maker Marussia, following a deal struck this week, which shows the growing Russian interest in the sport. The news follows on from the announcement that Russia will host a Grand Prix in Sochi starting in 2014 and that Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin tested a Renault F1 car as a guest of team owner Gerard Lopez. Like all Virgin's sponsors, Marussia wants to plug into Virgin's vast network of customers and communications channels. Marussia wants to go further than that, however. The intention is that its brand should appear in the Virgin team name, which means that along with the renaming of the current Lotus team and the Lotus Renault branding destined for the current Renault F1 team, there will be some new names on the grid next year. Sauber will also drop the BMW part of its name. The deal was announced today at Yas Marina Circuit and according to the Financial Times, Marussia is buying part of the stake … [Read more...] about Virgin comes over all Russian
Vladimir putin
Rookie test ends with Ricciardo on top
Australian Daniel Ricciardo dominated the second day of the Young Guns test at Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi today, closing out with a time comparable with Sebastian Vettel's pole lap from last weekend, once track condition is taken into account. Ricciardo set a time of 1m 38.102s, which was 1.292 seconds faster than the pole lap last weekend. Engineers I've spoken to at the track say that the track improvement was around 1.2 seconds yesterday, compared to qualifying day, and it was even faster this morning. There was more grip and there was also a favourable tailwind. Also cones which had been on the apex of some corners were not there today, so there was some fractional gain from cutting the apex. So you'd have to work on the basis of taking 1.4s -1.5s off the headline lap times to get a comparable read to times set during Grand Prix weekend. Nevertheless it's a formidable effort by Ricciardo. Jerome d'Ambrosio's best time of 1m 38.802s, is 2.099s faster than Vitaly … [Read more...] about Rookie test ends with Ricciardo on top
Hitech’s high hopes: The billionaire-backed F2 team planning a leap up to F1
Top junior single-seater outfit Hitech GP is the latest team to declare their intention to join the Formula 1 grid in 2026 . Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free They doubled up yesterday’s announcement of their plans with news of major new investment in the team. But does that plus the team’s racing pedigree mark it out as being worthy of the coveted 11th slot on the grid? Founded by Oliver Oakes in 2015, it at least the third team to use the name ‘Hitech’. The former racer obtained permission to use the name from David Hayle, who launched the original Hitech Racing team in 2003 to race in British Formula 3, and knew Oakes as a World Karting Championship-winning youngster. Another Hitech squad raced in Brazilian F3, but Oakes brought the name back to European competition when he was just 27. Oakes’ entity was also launched with the intention of competing in F3, and made its first appearances in 2015 at the end of the European championship season. Right … [Read more...] about Hitech’s high hopes: The billionaire-backed F2 team planning a leap up to F1
Motorsport.tv guide: What’s on 23-24 September weekend?
Here is a guide to what's on Motorsport.tv for the weekend of 23-24 September. For a detailed list of what's available in your area, please visit the livestream page: Motorsport.tv/livestream . Nürburgring Endurance Series - Round 8 The Nürburgring Endurance Series is nearing the end of its 2023 season with the 55th ADAC Barbarossapreis on Saturday, September 23rd. Notably, Nürburgring 24H defending winner Frikadelli Racing's Ferrari 296 GT3 is back, and former F1 driver Felipe Nasr is making his debut on the challenging Nordschleife. You can catch the complete race day on Motorsport.tv , live and for free. Race : (23 September) - 11:15 CET - 10:15 BST - 05:15 EST FIA European Truck Racing - Le Mans The Goodyear FIA European Truck Racing Championship (ETRC) heads to the Le Mans Bugatti circuit for the penultimate weekend of the 2023 season. Norbert Kiss is in a strong position to clinch the Drivers' Championship, needing a solid performance … [Read more...] about Motorsport.tv guide: What’s on 23-24 September weekend?