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Listen to this article Some say you should be judged by how you deal with failure. If that’s the case then BMW’s response to being thrashed in the 1972 European Touring Car Championship has to be regarded as one of the finest moments in motorsport history. Stung by defeat at the hands of Ford, BMW created its Motorsport division. For 50 years it has been a source of success for the Bavarian manufacturer in touring car racing, sportscar competition and Formula 1, not to mention some of the greatest road cars of all time. Ford team manager Jochen Neerpasch was recruited for the project and along came other key figures, including Ford’s 1972 DRM champion Hans-Joachim Stuck. The bewinged 3.0 CSL (actually with 3.3-litre and 3.5-litre versions of the sweet straight-six engine) swept Ford aside in 1973, Toine Hezemans taking the ETC drivers’ crown. BMW also topped its class at the Le Mans 24 Hours. Mission accomplished. But really it had only just begun. The competitiveness … [Read more...] about The ultimate BMW racing machines that resulted from a humbling failure

Listen to this article The news of Tambay’s death was communicated by his family to French news agency AFP on Sunday. He had been known to be suffering from Parkinson's disease, a progressive disorder that affects the nervous system, as well as diabetes. Born on June 25, 1949, Tambay went on to spend a decade in F1, racing for some of the biggest teams in grand prix racing including McLaren, Ferrari and Renault. He made his debut at the French Grand Prix in 1977 with Surtees but failed to qualify, before switching to Theodore Racing for the second half of the season. His first campaign with McLaren the following year yielded a best result of fourth, which would remain his best result in F1 until he was called up by Ferrari to replace Gilles Villeneuve during the middle of the 1982 season following the Canadian's death at Zolder. After claiming a podium finish in only his second race with the Scuderia at Brands Hatch, Tambay notched up his maiden victory at the German … [Read more...] about Ferrari F1 race winner Patrick Tambay dies aged 73

Listen to this article Following the conclusion of the 2022 F1 season in Abu Dhabi two weeks ago, the focus of the sporting world has been on Qatar, which is hosting the FIFA World Cup. Qatar has come into criticism over its human rights record and the treatment of migrant workers in the construction of the stadiums for the tournament, as well as its laws against the LGBTQ+ community. F1 first raced in Qatar last year and will return in 2023 as part of a 10-year deal that will see the number of grands prix in the Middle East increase to four per season, joining Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi. Pressure groups have criticised F1 for racing in these countries given their human rights records, while drivers such as Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel have spoken up about social issues when racing there. Speaking in Abu Dhabi, Mercedes team principal Wolff felt that F1 could not hide away from the issues in these countries, and that racing there helped to put a … [Read more...] about F1 can’t “hide away” from social issues in Middle East countries, says Wolff

I’ll get the joke out of the way first – no, ‘Driven to Crime’ isn’t the first of a 3,000 volume set detailing the history of criminality connected to motorsport. Instead, this book is a whistle stop tour of some of motorsport’s more infamous characters who also found themselves on the wrong side of the law. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free First-time author Crispian Besley has both the motorsport pedigree – having spent several decades racing immaculately prepared Formula Juniors – and a career at the top of the finance industry, which is perfectly for succinctly summarising some of the financial crimes covered. Split into sixty-six chapters, each focusing on an individual, all the usual suspects are to be found, together with a few lesser-known stories. I can’t think of any prior publication that links former FIA president Jean-Marie Balestre and infamous Brands Hatch trespasser Jack Cottle (who, in mitigation, never got the credit for staying within track … [Read more...] about “Driven to Crime: True Stories of Wrongdoing in Motor Racing” book reviewed · RaceFans

Toto Wolff admitted the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix had been a microcosm of Mercedes’ season in some ways, showing it has been “very hard to cope” at certain moments. Having caught up to Red Bull and Ferrari’s pace to a degree where they earned a one-two finish at Brazil at the penultimate race of the season, Mercedes fell away from the pace again at the finale at Yas Marina. Lewis Hamilton had worked his way up to the podium places, but a hydraulic issue ended his race, and season, prematurely, while George Russell came home a distant fifth. Mercedes were the third-fastest car for almost the entire season and given the in-between status they had between the front-runners and the midfield, Russell was in something of a no-man’s land during the race, as had often been the case in the first half of the season – despite his consistent top-five placings. Speaking to the BBC’s Chequered Flag podcast after Hamilton’s retirement and asked if Russell’s points were much consolation, Wolff … [Read more...] about Toto Wolff found F1 2022 season ‘very hard to cope with’ at times

Two-time Formula 1 race winner and former Ferrari driver Patrick Tambay has passed away aged 73, following a lengthy illness. Tambay’s family confirmed the sad news to AFP on Sunday, with the Frenchman having suffered from Parkinson’s disease in later life. Tambay had 114 race starts to his name in Formula 1 when he raced in the 1970s and ’80s, taking two victories for Ferrari at Hockenheim in 1982 and Imola the following season respectively, as well as five career pole positions. The Paris-born racer made his Formula 1 debut in 1977 after winning the Can-Am sportscar title with Haas Racing, initially taking part in a practice session with Surtees before spending the remainder of the year with Theodore. He would later drive for the likes of McLaren and Ferrari in his Formula 1 career, alongside taking another Can-Am title in 1980. He joined the Scuderia under tragic circumstances following the death of close friend Gilles Villeneuve in 1982 – with Tambay having also been … [Read more...] about Former F1 driver and multiple Grand Prix winner Patrick Tambay dies aged 73

Listen to this article On 29 November 1975, the motorsport world lost one of its most loved characters, Graham Hill, after a plane crash in North London. Along with the double F1 World Champion, Le Mans and Indy 500 winner, five other souls perished – all of them talented professionals in the nascent Embassy Hill squad. Ray Brimble, Andy Smallman, Terry Richards and Tony Alcock all died on Arkley Gold Course, alongside Hill. So too did a 23 year-old who was one of Britain’s biggest racing talents. His name was Tony Brise. On the cusp of breaking through as a top-line F1 driver, Brise left behind grieving loved ones, team members and a yawning sense of ‘what if’ had he been given the chance to realise his considerable talent. Several generations on, there are agonising and awkward hypotheses to consider. Tony Brise, Hill GH1 Ford, chats with Graham Hill Photo by: Ercole Colombo For two men, who became trusted lieutenants in Brise’s all too short racing career, … [Read more...] about Remembering Tony Brise, 45 years on

Listen to this article “He's a scientist, that's what he is. I've never seen a driver you could compare so easily to those types who walk around looking miserable because they're so wrapped up in what they're doing.” Patrick Tambay, besides being one of the sport's gentlemen, is also an acute observer. “I was on the second row of a grid in 1984 and just before the start I watched Senna walk to the front and then slowly back to his own midfield position, memorizing what compound tyres every-one in front was using. It was uncanny, I knew then that he was going to be somebody.” The Frenchman was one of the first in the F1 world to appreciate just how painstaking Ayrton Senna is, but he certainly wasn't the last to be exposed to his ruthless obsession to succeed. Back in the 30s Achille Varzi was reckoned, calculating and aloof, but Senna would have made him look like an ingenuous sycophant. I had to carry on, I knew I was on a good lap. Ayrton Senna, after blowing an … [Read more...] about Autocourse back in time: Ayrton Senna, profile of a champion

Two-time grand prix winner Patrick Tambay, who replaced Gilles Villeneuve at Ferrari in 1982, has died, his family announced on Sunday. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free The French former Formula 1 and sportscar racer Tambay had lived with Parkinson’s disease in the later years of his life but died over the weekend aged 73. Tambay raced in Formula 1 between 1977 and 1986 in a career that spanned 114 grand prix starts from 123 races entered. After making his early grand prix starts with Surtees and Theodore in 1977, Tambay was signed by McLaren for the 1978 and 1979 seasons before missing out the 1980 season. Tambay returned to Formula 1 with Theodore for 1981 but disappeared from the grid again in 1982. However, following the sudden death of Ferrari driver Gilles Villeneuve in practice for the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix, Ferrari called in Tambay to step into Villeneuve’s vacant seat. Four races later, he secured victory in the German Grand Prix and two more … [Read more...] about Two-time grand prix winner Tambay dies aged 73 · RaceFans