Motorsports Racing News & Blog Articles

Ben Sulayem, a 60-year-old from the Arab Emirates and a former rally driver, was elected in Paris to the leadership of the International Automobile Federation with 61.62% of the votes against 36.62% of the British Graham Stoker, the right-hand man of the 75-year-old French ex-head of Ferrari: he is the first non-European to hold this position. Angelo Sticchi Damiani, President of the Automobile Club of Italy, appointed Honorary Vice-President.

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On 17 December 2021, Mohammed Ben Sulayem of the United Arab Emirates was elected President of the International Automobile Federation (FIA) for a four-year term. He succeeds Frenchman Jean Todt, who has held the post since 2009. A former rally driver, Ben Sulayem is the first non-European to hold this position and was also the first Arab executive to join the Federation’s World Council in 2008. A former FIA Vice-President for the Middle East region, he was elected with 61.62% of the vote, against 36.62% for his only opponent, 69-year-old British driver Graham Stoker, deputy to Todt himself (1.76% abstention).

The growing influence of Arab countries in motorsport

The new president intends to “modernize” the FIA and make it more transparent. In his manifesto, he promises an external audit of governance, an evaluation of finances and the production of transparent financial and budget reports. The Arab leader also intends to appoint a chief executive to head the body for day-to-day management. This would also be a completely innovative decision. On the sporting side, he wants to double his global involvement in motorsport by 2025. To do this, he is targeting young people and promising to produce locally-made cross-cars (light buggies) and entry-level karts.

The election of the 60-year-old Dubai native was supported by the countries of this region, which are increasingly influential in the global balance of motorsport, organizing a series of major sporting events. Former British co-driver Robert Reid, world rally champion in 2001 with unforgettable driver Richards Burns, has been appointed Vice President for Sport, a position previously held by Graham Stoker. The list of eleven names in Ben Sulayem’s team also includes Fabiana Flosi Ecclestone, Brazilian lawyer and wife of Bernie Ecclestone, who has taken over as Vice President for South America.

The Gazzetta Dello Sport, a well-known Italian sports newspaper, reported in a recent note that the Ferrari-Leclerc contract includes a “release” clause that takes into account the result of the next season.

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According to the newspaper, Leclerc’s contract, which expires in 2024, contains a special clause that is valid from 2022: if Ferrari does not place at least third in the Constructors’ Championship, the driver would have the opportunity to end his relationship with the Prancing Horse in advance.

Therefore, in order to keep the “predestined” driver in Maranello (as many fans and supporters define him), it is absolutely necessary that Ferrari is in top form, right from the first tests in Barcelona, and that the driver enjoys the trust and consideration of the team, as was amply demonstrated at the start of their relationship. Next season will in fact be a decisive year both for the relaunch of Ferrari, in terms of the world championship, and for the definitive affirmation of Charles Leclerc. In addition, a possible return of Jean Todt to Maranello in the role of super consultant would change the scenarios. Let’s not forget that Nicolas Todt, son of the multi-titled Jean, is the driver’s sports agent.

Leclerc’s season was subdued, and in some ways unlucky, with just one podium finish compared to Sainz’s four, but he finished fourth on six other occasions, including Monza. His retirements at Monte Carlo (after an error on his part) and Hungary meant he missed out on many points in the driver’s standings, which would have allowed him to overtake Perez. At Silverstone he put in a fantastic performance, coming close to victory, overtaken by Hamilton with just 2 laps to go. The Monegasque took the team’s two pole positions, in Monte Carlo and Azerbaijan. Unfortunately, he made a few too many mistakes, especially in practice, looking for the limit. It’s a sign that he’s always pushed hard to find something more from the car, but he hasn’t always felt comfortable.

Scuderia Ferrari is pleased to announce that it has renewed a multi-year partnership agreement with Kaspersky, a world leader in the field of cyber security and data protection. The collaboration dates back to 2010 and was renewed in 2015, while this further renewal sees its scope expand, as Kaspersky will now also be an Official Partner for the FDA Esports Team, the department that, since 2019, deals with virtual motorsport within the Ferrari Driver Academy.

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As part of the partnership, Kaspersky provides several essential services, including the constant protection of Ferrari data both in its Maranello headquarters and at the race tracks around the world. The company logo will feature on the drivers’ and team members’ helmets and clothing at all official Scuderia events, as well as on the shirts worn by the FDA Esports Team sim drivers and on the Ferrari cars in the various games platforms with which the Maranello marque is involved.

Mattia Binotto Scuderia Ferrari Team Principal & Managing Director

“We are pleased to renew our partnership with Kaspersky and in fact to increase its scope. Our two companies have much in common, such as a policy of striving for technological excellence and a culture of teamwork. For over a decade, Kaspersky has played a key role for Scuderia Ferrari, protecting our data both at the track and in Maranello and it is important that we can count on such a reliable partner when it comes to such a delicate aspect in life of a team. We are also happy that our collaboration has been extended into the world of esports, which is growing fast and is vital when it comes to promoting motorsport to a wider and younger audience.”

About Kaspersky

Kaspersky is a global cybersecurity company founded in 1997. Kaspersky’s deep threat intelligence and security expertise are constantly transforming into innovative security solutions and services to protect businesses, critical infrastructure, governments and consumers around the globe. The company’s comprehensive security portfolio includes leading endpoint protection and a number of specialized security solutions and services to fight sophisticated and evolving digital threats. Over 400 million users are protected by Kaspersky technologies and we help 250,000 corporate clients protect what matters most to them.

Are you searching for a way to protect your vehicle against expensive repairs? If so, you might have considered an extended car warranty. Remember that you need to be well informed about car warranties to ensure you get the best deal. 

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Car repairs are costly, and most people can’t manage a £1,500 repair cost without running into debt, making an extended car warranty a worthy investment. 

Here is how you can find the best car warranty for you.

Assess the Warranty Cost

The extended car warranty cost varies from one provider to the other. In general, the amount of coverage, mileage, car’s age, car’s make and model determines the price to pay. With plenty of factors to consider, it’s hard to say the exact cost of an extended car warranty.

Introduction

Max Verstappen secured his maiden World Championship with victory in the season-ending 2021 Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton finishing second as the race ended in a nail-biting one-lap sprint after a late Safety Car. The result, which saw Valtteri Bottas finish sixth and Sergio Perez retire, means Mercedes have clinched a record eighth consecutive constructors’ championship.

Medium-tyred Hamilton jumped soft-shod Verstappen at the start of the 2021 Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, while the Dutchman came back in Turn 6, nudging him wide and over the run-off, but the Mercedes driver continued in the lead. Stewards decided not to investigate. The pit window opened when Verstappen came in on Lap 13, Hamilton a lap later, leaving Sergio Perez in the lead with the mission to hold off Hamilton.

Perez did exactly that, on Laps 20 to 21 – being dubbed a “legend” by his teammate as he let him past to continue the chase, before pitting on lap 22. The podium looked certain until he retired on Lap 56 under a Safety Car, which was brought out for a Nicholas Latifi crash.

That Safety Car, during which Verstappen pitted for soft tyres, left the race with just one lap of green flag racing remaining, producing another memorable moment in this epic season. Verstappen did make the pass on Hamilton into Lap 5, the decisive move, and while Hamilton attempted to come back towards Turn 9, there was nothing doing. History was made, as it was always going to be, and the trophy went to the Dutchman for the first time.

Carlos Sainz was, in my opinion, the revelation driver of the 2021 Formula 1 season. He arrived at Ferrari to act as a “second driver” to Leclerc and the team, replacing Vettel, but instead, in the final classification, he put his own team-mate behind him, who undeniably showed more speed on the track, but also less consistency in results, performance and less lucidity in managing critical moments.

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We know, it’s never easy racing with Ferrari. The pressure is strong and can put anyone in crisis (and Vettel teaches ….), but the Spaniard has never let anything get to him, showing remarkable mental solidity, experience, and champion-like. He worked on the details right from the start, finding himself working on a car that, by his own admission, was really different from the McLaren he had just left, and in this regard, he silenced all the detractors who judged his decision to go to Ferrari as completely wrong.

To tell the truth, the son of the great Carlos, the unforgettable Rallye Champion, also put McLaren of the golden boy Lando Norris behind him. In this F1, made up of so many small details that have to be added up to build a result, Sainz has shown himself to be the right driver and the right man in the right place, with Leclerc perhaps having to learn from his team-mate the art of patience.

The young French Charles, the “predestined” as many define him, runs with his heart, he runs as if he were in another era, he is instinctive, fast, indeed very fast indeed, but he still has to build himself up, and with less impetuosity. This is not a criticism, but a simple observation.

The 2021 Formula 1 season is over and it’s time to give drivers ratings for each Formula 1 team. This championship was marked above all by the great rivalry between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. In the thrilling finale of the Abu Dhabi race, the Dutch driver won the race and his first title defeating the seven world champion Hamilton.

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This season showed the talent of many drivers like Sergio Perez, reliable Verstappen’s squire in Red Bull, Carlos Sainz who placed ahead of his teammate Leclerc in his first year for Ferrari, the Formula 1 rising star George Russell and the winning back McLaren in Monza. If you want to live back all emotions and feelings, find out the drivers ratings of each Formula 1 team. Are you ready?

Max Verstappen  & Lewis Hamilton 10/10

The last season finale in Abu Dhabi proved that Max and his team, Red Bull Racing, will be the Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton’s competitor for the 2021 championship. The modifications of technical rules gave an advantage to Red Bull. Mercedes felt this year would be more complicated and in fact, it was like this.

McLaren Racing and partner BAT’s brand Vuse unveiled a bespoke livery designed by UAE-based artist Rabab Tantawy as part of the Driven by Change campaign for the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

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Driven by Change gives emerging creatives a platform to showcase their work to a global audience through motorsport. The campaign strives to champion up-and-coming artists, aged over 25, who may not receive the visibility or representation they deserve. This is a part of Vuse’s ongoing commitment to offer unique platforms to spotlight up-and-coming talent.

Inspired by her passion for art and representing togetherness, Tantawy’s artwork was conceived in collaboration with automotive media designer Davide Virdis and will be represented on the McLaren MCL35M race cars driven by Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo throughout the entire 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix race weekend. Tantawy’s design features her distinctive Nubian Series blended with the team’s iconic papaya and blue colourway, and marks the first time a female artist from the Middle East has designed a bespoke Formula 1 livery.

The livery will be premiered at a private media event hosted by McLaren Racing and Vuse at Yas Marina, Abu Dhabi on Tuesday 7 December.

Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow is pleased to announce it has reached a new multi-year agreement with Bell Helmets, a brand of the Racing Force Group which sees it become a Technical Partner of the Maranello team.

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As part of this partnership with the world leader in crash helmet production, Scuderia Ferrari will be able to count on Bell Helmets to provide protection for the mechanics involved in its Formula 1 pit stops. The company will also supply helmets to several Ferrari drivers, including those working in the simulator, as well as to many of the Ferrari Driver Academy students.

Mattia Binotto, Scuderia Ferrari Team Principal and Managing Director:

We are pleased to have renewed our partnership with Bell Helmets, a company with whom we have many values in common, such as continuous research into improving our product, cutting edge technology development and last but not least, attention to design and comfort. These attributes all play a part in helping our mechanics and drivers to perform at their maximum while contributing to our constant goal of getting the best possible results.

About Bell Helmets:

Part of a farewell tour before the car returns to the Mercedes-Benz Museum. Legendary Mille Miglia-winning Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR “722” drives through the heart of central London along the famous sites.

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Stuttgart. “Who do you think you are? Stirling Moss?” This, so the story goes, is what a policeman asked the legendary British racing driver following a particularly ‘daring’ overtaking manoeuvre on the streets of London. “Yes sir, I am” was the honest reply.

There’s a nod to this legendary tale – and a number of other aspects of Moss’s life and career – in “The Last Blast”, a new short farewell film by Mercedes-Benz Classic. A police motorcycle outrider admonishes the over-enthusiastic driver of the very Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR made famous by Moss’s win in the 1955 Mille Miglia race. As the camera zooms in on the front wing of the bike, we see a sticker bearing the famous question.

With this, part of a police-escorted drive across central London, ‘The Last Blast’ celebrates the life of Moss, who died on 12 April 2020 at the age of 90. Filming took place at the end of September 2021 in London – where he lived for more than 60 years – yet somewhere the famous Mercedes-Benz racing car, with its legendary Mille Miglia starting a number of 722, has never been driven before.

Introduction

Lewis Hamilton won a controversial debut 2021 Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix from pole position ahead of Max Verstappen and Valtteri Bottas amid two red-flag stoppages. The result means the two championship protagonists go to the Abu Dhabi finale level on points.

Hamilton led Bottas and Verstappen – who shrugged off his qualifying crash – at the start but on Lap 10, Mick Schumacher spun and hit the Turn 23 barriers. The Safety Car soon turned into a red flag, crucially giving Verstappen a free stop in the pits, while the Mercedes had stopped under yellows.

The Lap 15 standing start saw Hamilton lead, but Verstappen went wide and off-track at the first chicane, cutting back across Hamilton, who dropped to P3 behind Alpine’s Esteban Ocon (who also enjoyed a red flag tyre change and the subsequent advantage). However, there were two separate incidents behind which Sergio Perez was collected by Charles Leclerc and Nikita Mazepin collided with George Russell – so another red flag was called.

A cacophony of bargaining calls by the Red Bull and Mercedes pit walls followed but the Lap 17 restart would see Ocon start ahead of Hamilton then Verstappen in P3. In that restart, the Dutchman made a terrific move using his brand-new medium compounds down the inside of the opening chicane for the lead while Hamilton found himself impeded by Ocon, who like Verstappen missed the Turn 2 apex, passing the Alpine a lap later.

There are some DIY jobs around the home but all better left to the professionals. However, there are lots of tasks in the home that you can easily complete by yourself.

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Even if your home appears spotless at first glance, there’s probably at least one or two potential DIY tasks lurking somewhere.

All you need to succeed with your DIY tasks is a great set of tools and a little patience! If you’re brand-new to the DIY world, things might take you longer to complete. But it’s often worth investing the time and effort into these tasks to save yourself paying somebody else to do them.

A successful DIY task begins with your toolkit. Without the right equipment, it becomes almost impossible for you to complete your tasks at home. Not to mention that using the wrong tools is also dangerous.

Patrick Friesacher gave F1 fans a glimpse of what they can expect at this weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix when he powered the title-winning RB8 car along the Jeddah Waterfront in front of thousands of onlookers for Red Bull Racing’s latest Showrun. Here is all you need to know:

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The 2021 FIA Formula One World Championship is going down to the wire in both the driver and constructor races with Red Bull Racing Honda in the mix for both trophies against Mercedes with two races left.

Championship leader Max Verstappen and Mexican teammate Sergio Pérez will duel it out under the lights with the Mercedes pair at the brand-new Jeddah Corniche Circuit on Sunday for the inaugural race.

Ahead of that on November 12, Saudi speed and motorsports enthusiasts got the chance to experience a taste of the electrifying energy and atmosphere that accompanies the pinnacle of motorsport.

This year, we celebrate 10 years since the launch of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship – the electric cars motorsport racing series that promotes clean mobility. Since its inauguration in 2014, the series has hosted seven seasons and has gained millions of viewers from all over the world.

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The amalgamation of the climate crisis, eco-awareness, and the boom of electric cars are all vital in the positioning of Formula E as a pioneer in green mobility. But where does the sustainable motorsport stand compared to the original racing series that defined years of single-seat motorsports – Formula One?

Formula E’s sustainability manifesto

In September 2020, Formula E was certified as the first and only net-zero carbon sport since its launch. But the journey to offsetting its carbon emissions is imbued with consistent efforts to implement and promote sustainability in every aspect of the race in line with the UN Climate Neutral Now initiative. The initiative has the Paris Agreement as a framework of stimulating organisations to adopt transformative changes that will help them reach carbon neutrality in the second half of the twenty-first century.

It all started with a clear vision for putting clean mobility at the forefront of the streets of some of the most iconic cities in the world. Formula E’s aim is to achieve “a clear trajectory for the global sports community to combat climate change,” while raising awareness for climate action. In the words of Formula E CEO Jamie Riegle, “We have a responsibility to minimise the environmental impact of our global sport and are pleased to support vital environmental projects in each of our race markets.”

Kingspan, the global leader in advanced insulation and building envelope solutions, to chair a new Sustainability Working Group for the team. Ambitious carbon reduction objectives shared by Kingspan and Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team. High performance, sustainability, teamwork and innovation are key themes of the new partnership. Kingspan logo to make debut on team cars during Saudi Arabia Grand Prix as Lewis Hamilton battles it out for the Drivers’ championship and Mercedes-AMG Petronas eyes Constructors’ prize.

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The Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team is proud to announce high-performance insulation and building envelope solutions group Kingspan has joined the team in a global sustainability partnership. Breaking new ground for Formula One, Kingspan will chair a Sustainability Working Group for the team. The working group’s remit will be to draw together expertise from diverse fields to contribute to the team’s objective of pioneering new approaches and technologies for emissions reduction in motorsport.

Headquartered in Ireland, Kingspan is the global leader in high-performance insulation and building envelopes. Having started its first sustainability programme (Net Zero Energy) in 2011, the company is now in the second year of its Planet Passionate sustainability programme which is underpinned by ambitious Science Based Targets aligned with the IPCC’s 1.5-degree scenario. The company’s targets include net-zero carbon manufacturing by 2030 and a 50 per cent reduction in the CO2 intensity in its primary supply chain partners by 2030.

The Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 team has set a target of reducing CO2 emissions in its operations by 50 per cent by 2022 and is working on ambitious targets to become net zero. The team’s high-tech chassis factory in Brackley already uses renewable energy to power all its operations, while its Brixworth technology centre in Northamptonshire produces more than half of its electricity using solar panels and an on-site CCHP plant.