Motorsports Racing News & Blog Articles

BMW M Team WRT made a significant impact at the 100-year anniversary weekend of the renowned 24 Hours of Le Mans, despite the debut of the BMW M Hybrid V8 being scheduled for 2024. BMW M Team WRT, led by drivers Valentino Rossi and Max Hesse, secured two victories in the Road to Le Mans support races, a part of the Michelin Le Mans Cup.

Hesse, alongside teammate Tim Whale, claimed victory on Thursday, while Rossi, accompanied by Jérôme Policand, celebrated his first GT3 triumph with a remarkable overtaking maneuver on the penultimate lap in Friday’s race. The exceptional performances resulted in a WRT one-two finish.

The Road to Le Mans races marked BMW M Team WRT’s inaugural participation at Le Mans, laying the groundwork for the forthcoming BMW M Hybrid V8 premiere in the top class in 2024. Additionally, GMB Motorsport fielded a third BMW M4 GT3, driven by Roland and Kristian Poulsen, finishing in seventh and fifteenth places respectively.

Commemorating the race’s centenary, a historic BMW V12 LMR, which secured overall victory for BMW M Motorsport in 1999, took part in demonstration laps throughout the weekend. Spectators were also treated to the sight of the legendary BMW Art Cars by Alexander Calder and Jeff Koons, which caused a sensation in Le Mans in 1975 and 2010.

Andreas Roos, Head of BMW M Motorsport, expressed his delight with the team’s achievements: “We had super successful days here with our BMW M4 GT3 together with WRT in the Road to Le Mans races. With the victory in the first race and the one-two in the second race, we are of course very satisfied. This was a first step. Many thanks, of course, for the commitment to the whole team, the drivers, and the crew of BMW M Motorsport. They gave our BMW M4 GT3 a great Le Mans debut.”

F1 Authentics, in collaboration with Formula 1, Pirelli, and Ferrari Trento, recently organised a remarkable initiative to raise funds for the Emilia-Romagna Region’s Agency for Territorial Safety and Civil Protection. The campaign featured exclusive auctions on the F1 Authentics platform, offering coveted items such as the Pirelli Pole Position Award trophy, the official Ferrari Trento podium bottle, and the four Podium trophies from Imola, all signed by the 2023 F1 drivers.

The auctions concluded on June 6th, collectively raising an astounding £247,171 for the flood relief fund. This successful charity event showcased the tremendous support received from Formula 1, Pirelli, Ferrari Trento, Automobile Club d’Italia, and Formula Imola.

The funds will aid the Emilia-Romagna region in recovering from the devastating flooding in Imola. Additionally, Ferrari Trento pledged to match the amount raised from the Podium Bottle auction, further increasing the donation.

Barry Gough, Founder and CEO of Memento Exclusives and F1 Authentics, expressed his satisfaction, stating, “These items were all ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ pieces, and to have raised £247,171 from them is absolutely fantastic.”

Mario Isola, Pirelli Motorsport Director, commended the F1 community’s generosity, emphasizing the significance of the donation in supporting those affected by the severe weather conditions in Emilia-Romagna, “Once again the F1 community has shown great generosity, collecting through this auction a sum to be donated to those who are still suffering from the damage caused by the bad weather in Emilia-Romagna, which has been very serious and whose consequences will weigh heavily on the population for a long time. Any help, even a small one, can help and we are happy to have made our contribution.”

Luanda-born Rui Andrade created a historic moment last weekend, becoming the first-ever Angolan driver to secure a podium finish at the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans. With a remarkable second place, Andrade added his name to the list of motorsport greats, achieving the best result by an African driver in the race’s century-long history.

Andrade, part of the #41 Team WRT LMP2 car, demonstrated exceptional skill and determination alongside teammates Robert Kubica and Louis Déletraz in the 2023 FIA World Endurance Championship season. Following a stunning victory at Spa, they arrived at Le Mans as LMP2 runner-ups.

Despite challenging weather conditions during the race, Andrade and his team showcased their resilience. Overcoming a spin caused by standing water, they successfully navigated the treacherous circuit, ultimately finishing in second place. This podium finish propelled them to the top of the LMP2 category in the FIA World Endurance Championship.

Rui Andrade shared his emotions after the race: “It felt special to be up there on the podium. I’ve seen the photos and videos, but none of them do it justice, you have to experience it yourself. The entire team did incredible. Every single member of WRT would have deserved to be on that podium after all the endless days of work that went into preparing for this race.”

Jamie Campbell-Walter, Managing Director of Bullet Sports Management, expressed his pride in Andrade’s achievement: “Finishing on the Le Mans rostrum is something every racing driver is dreaming about. Achieving it at the young age of 22, as the first person in his home country Angola, makes this achievement even more special. We are all proud of Rui and we know there is a lot more to come from him.”

Mick Schumacher says his recent run on board the W14 will help his role as reserve driver of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team, particularly when it comes to using the simulator.

Schumacher joined Mercedes during the winter after losing his seat at the MoneyGram Haas F1 Team to countryman Nico Hülkenberg, and he has acted as reserve driver throughout the 2023 FIA Formula 1 World Championship season.

The German took part in a recent Pirelli tyre test at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, which gave him his first actual run in the W14 that is driven by Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, days after being praised by both for his hard work behind the scenes to make Mercedes competitive for the Spanish Grand Prix.

“This experience will definitely benefit me in my role,” Schumacher is quoted as saying by Motorsport.com.  “I have a better understanding of what to look out for and what to work on.

“I also have a better understanding of all the procedures and how the team works trackside. That would be a key factor in case I ever have to jump in and race.” 

James Vowles says some elements of Williams Racing are ‘twenty years out of date’ as he continues his task of overhauling the Grove-based outfit.

Vowles took over as Team Principal of Williams during the winter after leaving his role with the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team, effectively going from a team familiar with winning to a team sitting at the back of the pack year after year.

Williams have suffered years of underachievement due to lack of investment, something that Vowles hopes is over following the acquisition of the team by Doriltan Capital, but during that time of underinvestment, the facilities at Grove have not been updated to cater for modern day Formula 1.

“I think everything,” said Vowles to Motorsport.com when asked about the differences between Mercedes and Williams.  “There are not many, but some elements of the organisation that are of a similar level to Mercedes.

“There are some elements that are twenty years out of date, which makes sense if you think through the history of this team. The investment it had was zero for around about twenty years and then an investment firm came through.

Following the recent reshuffle of the leadership structure within the McLaren F1 Team, Andrea Stella says they are expecting ‘competitive ideas’ that hopefully will see the team move forward within the FIA Formula 1 World Championship.

Stella took over as Team Principal at Woking during the winter after the departure of Andreas Seidl, and after a lacklustre start to the 2023 season, James Key left his role as Executive Technical Director.

Peter Prodromou has been promoted to head the aerodynamic division at McLaren, while David Sanchez was brought in from Scuderia Ferrari to lead car concept and performance.  More recently, McLaren announced the imminent arrival of Rob Marshall from Oracle Red Bull Racing as their new Technical Director, with Neil Houldey as his deputy.

Stella believes this new line-up will give McLaren a similar set-up to the likes of Red Bull and should offer them a chance of gathering many ideas that could be the difference between being in the midfield and jumping up to the teams at the front of the field.

“I think this configuration is strong, because it’s not like about who makes decisions, but it’s much more about how can we generate competitive ideas to bring to the table,” said Stella to Motorsport.com.

The T2 category for production cars might not be the racing-built monsters of T1, but even stock vehicles need testing. Team Land Cruiser Toyota Auto Body began testing in Morocco last Tuesday as they prepare for the 2024 Dakar Rally.

Akira Miura is leading the test as the Land Cruiser 300’s driver. Miura has three Dakar victories to his name with the most recent in 2022.

The team has won the Dakar Rally’s T2 class ten times and every year since 2014. While there is the caveat that they are typically the only factory-backed programmes in T2, they have also been able to complete the gruelling rally each time.

For the 2023 edition, TLC raced the new Toyota Land Cruiser 300 GR Sport. Miura and Ronald Basso traded the lead as the lone competitive T2 entries, but also hit multiple snags that relegated them to the Dakar Experience for those who retired from a stage and were therefore ineligible for overall classification. Nonetheless, Basso defeated Miura for his maiden Dakar triumph.

The aforementioned struggles included Miura rolling in the first stage, followed by steering problems for Basso the next day. Miura then broke a drivetrain on Stage #5 which resulted in his elimination from the overall. While he was able to win his class in the end, the second half of the rally was a nightmare for Basso as the cooling system failed in Stage #9, a engine belt broke the next day, and power steering went out in Stage #12 as did the engine turbo a day later.

The Canadian Grand Prix is set to be a crucial weekend for Williams Racing, as the team brings a new upgrade package to Alex Albon’s car. Head of Vehicle Performance Dave Robson said that Friday running in Montréal will be focused on “understanding” the update.

Coming off a tough double-header for the team in Monaco and Spain, Robson expects Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve to be a more competitive track for FW45 when compared to the previous two rounds. He added that Gilles-Villeneuve also offers greater overtaking opportunities, which may play into their ability to implement alternative strategies. 

“Canada is always an enjoyable event; the circuit lends itself to good racing and there is always a chance of some tricky weather conditions, which can be blistering heat or sudden showers.

“The track in Montreal should play slightly more to the strengths of the FW45 than Monaco and Barcelona did. Furthermore, we have several upgraded components available this week, which will run on Alex’s car only. We expect to be more competitive, but we will take our time on Friday to understand if the new package is delivering as expected.

“Alongside the work to understand the upgrades, we will look at the usual tyre work on Friday as well as understanding how the track surface has weathered in the last 12 months. Overtaking is easier in Montreal than it was at the last two races, which may open up some additional strategy options during the Grand Prix, if the tyre degradation can be managed.”

Alex Albon enters this weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix after taking sixteenth at the previous round in Spain. Though he feels that Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve is a relatively challenging course, he also expects it to be better suited to FW45 than recent venues. 

“Heading into Canada, it’s always a bit of a tricky circuit, however with it having more medium downforce, it should suit us a bit more than the last couple of tracks. I’m looking forward to heading to Montreal as it’s a really nice atmosphere around the city.”

With only one points finish to his name at the season opener, Albon looks forward to seeing what kind of impact their update for Montréal will have, and hopes that Williams Racing will be rewarded for their efforts with a successful outcome.

“We have an upgrade coming for this weekend, so it should be interesting to see how it performs.”

“Everyone at the factory has done a huge job to get this upgrade ready for the weekend, so hopefully we can have a good result.”

The Ferrari AF Corse squad secured a memorable victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans last weekend, with the #51 of Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado and Antonio Giovinazzi claiming overall honours at the first time of asking in the Hypercar class.

Despite a multitude of interruptions caused by slow zones, safety cars and rain, the Ferrari 499P, racing in the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the very first time, came out on top ahead of the favourites Toyota Gazoo Racing, and despite incredible competition from the Cadillac Racing and Porsche Penske Motorsport.

Pier Guidi, perhaps fittingly, brought the car home at the end, with the Italian having recovered from an overnight spin to recapture the lead and fight hard against the #8 Toyota right up until the closing moments.

And the Italian was full of mixed emotions at the end as he tried to come to terms that he had won one of the biggest races in the world with one of the world’s best marques.

“It takes time to grasp what we did,” said Pier Guidi.  “Probably now, we are part of the history of Ferrari, the biggest brand in the world.

Esteban Ocon is hoping he can match his sixth-place finish at the Circuit de Gilles Villeneuve last season, at this weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix.

The Frenchman heads to Montreal in very good form, having finished eighth at the Spanish Grand Prix and an astonishing third in Monaco. The BWT Alpine F1 Team driver is actually on a three-race points scoring streak, something he should have high hopes of extending this weekend. Alpine and Ocon have both shown great pace over recent rounds, suggesting that a top-eight at the very least should be achievable in Canada.

This weekend’s venue is one which Ocon is a fan of, due to the constant changing of direction through the majority of the corners. Overtaking is also very much possible in Canada, something which Ocon expects to make this weekend’s Grand Prix an “entertaining” one.

“It’s a great track and I really enjoy driving there. Most corners in Montréal come as a double change of direction, which requires good responsiveness from the car, so set-up is very important.

“There are also the walls which make it exciting to drive and keeps us on our toes. The track surface in Montreal is usually quite smooth but tyre degradation in the race is normally relatively high as we use the softest compound of tyres. Combined with the stop-and-go nature of the track, this improves the chances of overtaking which can make it an entertaining Grand Prix. We were sixth here last year so we will look to match or improve that this time around!”

Alessandro Alunni Bravi, Team Representative of Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake is hopeful that the Swiss side can score some good points at this weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix, mimicking their 2022 performance at the Circuit de Gilles-Villeneuve.

Alfa Romeo head to Canada having claimed two points at the Spanish Grand Prix, courtesy of Zhou Guanyu finishing ninth. Valtteri Bottas was forced to settle for nineteenth in Spain, following significant floor damage. Despite this, the Hinwil-based team regard their Spanish GP performance as “positive”, given how the C43 did actually show strong pace.

On paper, this weekend’s Canadian GP should be a good one for the outfit, based on their performance last season. Twelve months ago in Montreal, Bottas finished seventh with Zhou in eighth, marking one of the team’s best results of the season.

Last season’s result means that Alfa Romeo head to Montreal “with confidence”, to the extent where Alunni Bravi admits the target is to “replicate” their double points finish from 2022.

“The positive result in Barcelona was important proof of the effort made by the team over the past weeks, both trackside and in Hinwil, and how eager we all are to fight for the points regularly. The result we brought home made us even more motivated, and the team resumed work right away to find the extra performance that can make a difference in our sport.

Kevin Magnussen will enter his one hundred and fiftieth Grand Prix this weekend in Canada, and the Dane says it is great to have been able to race in the FIA Formula 1 World Championship for as long as he has.

The MoneyGram Haas F1 Team driver made his debut in the 2014 Australian Grand Prix for the McLaren F1 Team and secured his one and only career podium in that race and has also competed for the Renault Sport F1 Team in 2016 before moving to his current team in 2017.

Aside from a year out of the sport in 2021 where he lost his seat as Haas opted for an all-rookie line-up of Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin, Magnussen has been plying his trade at the Banbury-based team and hopes for more opportunities to come his way with them going forward in his career.

“It’s great to have had such a long time in Formula 1,” said Magnussen.  “As a small kid, I was dreaming of racing in Formula 1 someday and to have reached this many races and have all those years in the sport, I feel very grateful for the opportunity. I’m excited I’m still around and still able to live my dream.

“What I see for my future, I’m in a good spot right now. I’m in a great team of great people and am often given the opportunity to race towards the front.

Zhou Guanyu heads to the Canadian Grand Prix this weekend targeting a second consecutive points finish, after finishing ninth at the recent Spanish Grand Prix.

Zhou enjoyed an excellent weekend recently at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, with his points finish having “been rewarding” for himself and Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake. Given that he finished eighth at the Circuit de Gilles-Villeneuve last season, there is a real chance that the Chinese driver could get amongst the points again this weekend.

However, Zhou recognises that a good qualifying on Saturday will be vital to a points finish on Sunday, and extending his and the team’s “point scoring streak”.

“Coming home from Barcelona with points has surely been rewarding, and a good motivation for the entire team to keep up with the extensive work done so far, both on and off the track. I am delighted to be returning to Canada this week, I have very good memories from my first time around here a year ago – and I am keen to make some more.

“We made good progress throughout the weekend in Spain, and overall had a very well-executed race with good tyre management and strategic choices. Even though the track is very different from Barcelona, hopefully we will be able to keep up with the performances shown there. If we are at our best from the very first practice session, we’ll be able to qualify in a favourable position and extend our point scoring streak on Sunday.”

Guenther Steiner says the MoneyGram Haas F1 Team will go into this weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix looking to do their very best, but much like the rest of the current FIA Formula 1 World Championship season, it is difficult to predict where they’ll be in relation to the other teams in the intense midfield battle.

Haas have had a fluctuating season so far in 2023, with Nico Hülkenberg having scored six points and Kevin Magnussen two points in the opening seven races, with the team sitting seventh in the Constructors’ Championship.

Steiner, the Team Principal at Haas, says the midfield battle so far in 2023 has been extremely close, and it is difficult to predict from one weekend to the next where they will ‘stack up’ against their rivals.

“Like always this season, we don’t really know where we stack up, going from race to race, it’s difficult to predict,” said Steiner.  “We’re not only predicting ourselves but we also have to predict our opponents as everything is so close, there’s a lot of competition within a few tenths.

“We need to go Montreal, do our best and work on our race pace, which was not where we wanted it to be in Spain.”