Motorsports Racing News & Blog Articles

The Nissan Formula E Team found themselves leaving the Diriyah E-Prix double-header with “mixed feelings”, despite rookie Sacha Fenestraz having claimed the team’s first points of the 2022/23 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.

It was an odd weekend at the Riyadh Street Circuit for Nissan, with both Fenestraz and Norman Nato having looked strong during Free Practice. Qualifying, though, was where things went wrong, as neither Nato or Fenestraz made it into the duels ahead of either race, making life extremely more difficult for the French duo.

There was clearly pace in the team’s Gen3 challenger, though, as both drivers made up several places on Friday and Saturday, with Fenestraz having gone from twelfth to eighth in the second race of the weekend. This marked both the rookie’s first points in the series and the team’s first of the season, giving them something to take into the next round in India.

Team Principal Tommaso Volpe is clearly aware, though, that more points were definitely on the cards, but that a “few mistakes” let the outfit down.

“We’ve got mixed feelings from this double-header. We came to Diriyah with some new processes, which worked really well, and we’re making progress at every race. Qualifying was a bit frustrating this weekend, we made a few mistakes but the race pace was really good for both drivers and they were able to move forwards. We’re delighted for Sacha and his first points finish today – it was a great race from him, but we know that we can achieve more.

Rookie Sacha Fenestraz claimed his first points of the season at the third round of the 2022/23 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, after making up four places to finish eighth at the Diriyah E-Prix.

It was a incredibly mixed weekend for the young Frenchman, who struggled in the opening race of the weekend at the Riyadh Street Circuit. Fenestraz finished seventeenth in the second round of the championship in Diriyah, after qualifying terribly. The second race in Diriyah (round three of the championship) went much better for the Nissan Formula E Team driver, who finished eighth after qualifying twelfth, highlighting to him the importance of qualifying well.

Fenestraz not only claimed his first points in Formula E, but the team’s first of the season, getting the Japanese manufacturer’s season properly underway.

Reflecting on the second race in particular, the French driver believes more would’ve been possible had he qualified better, but that he “should be happy with the progress” made in Saudi Arabia.

“I’m pleased with today’s result, scoring my first points for the team in Formula E. We could have done more in qualifying, but we should be happy with the progress we made and what we discovered over the weekend. We have good pace, especially in the races, but there’s still a lot to learn.

Envision Racing enjoyed a “very productive” double-header in Diriyah, with Sébastian Buemi having finished in the points in both races, as well as having claimed a record-equalling fifteenth pole position in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.

The 2022/23 season is certainly starting very positively for Envision, who looked competitive all weekend at the Riyadh Street Circuit. After claiming pole for the first race of the weekend, Buemi went on to miss out on a first podium of the year, with the Swiss driver having been forced to settle for fourth. The former Formula E Champion qualified incredibly well again ahead of Race Two, with the Envision newbie having managed to claim fourth on the grid. The second race was much more challenging for Buemi, though, who just missed out on a top five finish by 0.080s, leaving him in sixth.

On the other side of the Envision Racing garage and it was a mixed weekend for Nick Cassidy, who actually performed strongly in Race One. After qualifying tenth, the New Zealander made excellent progress in the race to finish sixth, to seal a four-six finish for the team. Race Two, though, was highly disappointing for the twenty-eight year-old, who finished thirteenth after qualifying fifteenth.

Despite Cassidy’s unfortunate second race of the weekend, Envision still managed to claim points through Buemi in both races, and Cassidy in the first, meaning not all was lost. It was still an incredibly positive weekend for the Silverstone-based team, who sit fourth in the Constructors’ Championship.

Team Principal Sylvain Filippi admitted that the team are still trying to gather an understanding of “what works and what doesn’t work” with their Jaguar-powered Gen3 challenger, due to it still being such “early days” in the new era. Despite this, the team still achieved their goal of scoring more points, with Buemi’s and Cassidy’s one-lap pace having been highly impressive in particular.

Sébastian Buemi is seemingly a racing driver reborn with Envision Racing, with the Swiss driver having performed strongly at the Diriyah E-Prix double-header.

The second and third rounds of the 2022/23 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship will forever be memorable for the former Formula E Champion, with it having been his ninety-ninth and one-hundredth races in the all-electric series. Buemi started his ninety-ninth Formula E race in sublime fashion, after claiming a record-equalling fifteenth pole position, which interestingly was his first pole position since 2019. The Swiss driver led the opening stages, but ultimately slipped to fourth by the end of the race, with the Porsche powertrains having been too strong to deal with.

Somewhat ironically ahead of his one-hundredth race and the second race of the weekend at the Riyadh Street Circuit, Buemi was knocked out of the duels at the Semi-Final stage by Jake Hughes, the person he beat in the Final ahead of Race One. Buemi performed strongly again in the second race and managed to claim sixth moments before the line. Buemi overtook Mitch Evans who effectively pushed Hughes over the line, with his car having shutdown after running out of energy. Buemi came ridiculously close to beating Hughes to the line as well, but ended the race just 0.080s behind the rookie.

Despite having missed out on consecutive top five finishes in Diriyah, it was still a really impressive weekend for the thirty-four year-old, who sits third in the Drivers’ Championship. Whilst his results were solid, Buemi believes that he “could’ve achieved more”, but that overall his team are certainly “getting better and better”.

“It has been a good weekend, finishing in the points in both races, pole position on Saturday. I had a good car today, and I think I was a bit unlucky in turn one at the start where I lost two positions and it is very difficult to overtake, so that put me at a disadvantage. I had plenty of energy at the end of the race, which was the opposite of yesterday, and I felt like I could’ve achieved more.

The last time Mattias Ekström was the “Champion of Champions”, he was a DTM regular in his early thirties. Now forty-four and an ace in rallycross and rally raid, Ekström still has it. His Race of Champions individual tournament win on Sunday ties him with Didier Auriol and Sébastien Loeb for the most in the event’s history with four.

Despite an early scare when his Supercar Lites briefly caught fire, Ekström won both his races against Mick Schumacher in the final to secure the win in front of his home country. Incidentally, two of his other three victories came against Schumacher’s father Michael in 2007 and 2009 (the first in 2006 came against Loeb). He now has five career ROC wins if including the 2005 Nations Cup alongside Tom Kristensen.

“It’s very special to have four wins and even more special to do it in Sweden,” commented Ekström. “I won my first final at the Stade de France in Paris against Sébastien Loeb, then I had two finals with Michael Schumacher in London and Beijing, so to see Mick in the final today was very emotional for me.

“This is even more special than winning. Michael’s always been one of the guys I admire most in the sport, for his dedication, hard work and talent. I only got to know Michael at the Race of Champions. We had many battles and I have only great memories with Michael from this event. I’m super proud because Mick also rode with me on Friday in the Dakar car and we had a nice time. Michael was always humble with me and I can see Mick is also very humble. Mick is such a huge talent and his time is ahead of him, so I look forward to more battles in the future. I know it won’t take long until I get beaten, but against Mick I would have no problem with finishing second.”

The bracket of twenty was split into two halves, one for predominantly circuit racers and the other for rally drivers.

Jaguar TCS Racing Team Principal James Barclay hailed Sam Bird as being ‘back on form’, after claiming the team’s first podium of the season at the Diriyah E-Prix and his first since the Season Seven New York E-Prix.

Bird was electrifying in the second and third rounds of the 2022/23 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship at the Riyadh Street Circuit, with his third-place finish having come in the first race in Diriyah. The second race was slightly more frustrating for the British driver, who had the pace to claim at least a podium if not challenge for victory, had a late Safety Car not ruined his chances. Bird had to settle for fourth at the second race as a result.

For Mitch Evans, it was an incredibly frustrating weekend, with the New Zealander having not been rewarded for his strong pace. Evans finished tenth in the opening race in Diriyah following a bizarre five-second time penalty, whilst he finished seventh in the second race after pushing Jake Hughes across the line. Evans did lead the early stages of the second race of the weekend, but tumbled down the order as a result of the incredible Porsche powertrains and a questionable strategy.

Had it not been for Evans’ “unfortunate circumstances” then he could’ve challenged the top five places in both races, rather than the lower-end of the points. Barclay admits himself that Evans’ results weren’t a “fair reflection” of his performance, with the team having “some things to improve on” as a result.

“Firstly well done to Sam on a great weekend, he is back on the form we know he is capable of. A podium yesterday, fourth today and the fastest lap shows his talent but also the pace and efficiency of the Jaguar I-TYPE 6. Mitch demonstrated he is getting to grips with the Gen3 car with fantastic Practice and Qualifying sessions. Together we had high expectations for the race but leading the pack isn’t always the best place to be in Diriyah and towing the rest of the field around cost us energy which meant we had to drop back to try and regain.

It was a very solid weekend at the Diriyah E-Prix for Sam Bird, as the British driver truly got his season underway, after retiring at the season opener of the 2022/23 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.

After qualifying third and then finishing third in the first race of the double-header at the Riyadh Street Circuit, the second day of action in Diriyah was much more challenging. The thirty-six year-old staggeringly failed to make it into the duels ahead of the second race, despite having looked so fast on Friday. Bird ultimately had to settle for ninth on the grid; however, he didn’t remain there for long.

The Jaguar TCS Racing driver showed excellent pace during the second race and arguably had the best energy management, to the point where he was concerning Pascal Wehrlein and Jake Dennis at the front. However, a late Safety Car ruined Bird’s chances of victory, as he still had to take both his Attack Modes in the final few laps of the race.

He was in contention for a podium and seemingly should’ve claimed third, had it not been for the British driver running wide at Turn Eighteen after attempting a move on René Rast. In the end he had to settle for fourth as well as the fastest lap of the race; however, he recognises that “there was a podium on offer”.

“I’m incredibly happy with the pace of the car and that I was able to secure the fastest lap in Diriyah but there was a podium on offer today. We had great efficiency but after the safety car, the race became a flat-out sprint which makes it really challenging to overtake. We’ve learned a lot this weekend and now onto one of our home races in Hyderabad.”

Ian James, Team Principal of the NEOM McLaren Formula E Team, thanked the entire Woking-based outfit for the “blood, sweat and tears” that they’ve put in during the team’s maiden season so far, as René Rast achieved the side’s first podium in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.

It was truly a sensational weekend for McLaren at the Diriyah E-Prix double-header, with the second race of the weekend having certainly been more memorable for the outfit. In Race One, the side had to settle for fifth and eighth, after rookie Jake Hughes somewhat fell-off the pace late on due to managing his energy. Race Two, though, was one that the side won’t be forgetting for a while, with Hughes having claimed pole position for it.

Hughes’ performance in qualifying at the Riyadh Street Circuit was exceptional, with the rookie having started second in the first race, and then on pole in the second. Unfortunately, Hughes didn’t quite have the pace to convert it into a podium; however, Rast was on hand to do so at NEOM’s home race. The returning German defended like crazy in the closing stages of the second race of the weekend, as Sam Bird tried to do everything to snatch the final podium spot from him.

Ultimately, Rast somehow held on to claim the team’s first podium in Formula E, with James having labelled the weekend as “absolutely phenomenal” when reflection upon it.

“That was absolutely phenomenal. What a weekend – and especially a day – it has been.

René Rast successfully claimed his first podium in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship since the Season Seven Puebla E-Prix, after an incredible defensive display in the closing laps of race two at the Diriyah E-Prix.

After finishing fifth in the first race of the double-header at the Riyadh Street Circuit, Rast had an exceptional qualifying ahead of round three of the 2022/23 championship to put himself third on the grid, ahead of the second race in Diriyah. The returning German timed his Attack Modes brilliantly and jumped ahead of Mitch Evans and his team-mate Jake hughes, after opting to take his first Attack Mode after the duo that had been running first and second.

Once Rast activated his Attack Mode, he actually built a nice gap to the cars behind; however, race one winner Pascal Wehrlein and race one runner-up Jake Dennis begun their pursuit of the thirty-six year-old. Rast had absolutely no answer to Wehrlein or Dennis, who went on to claim another one-two, leaving Rast to defend for his life in third. Rast had to defend for his life to keep Sam Bird behind, with the British driver having had considerably more energy than the German.

No matter what Bird did, though, he couldn’t find a way past Rast, who managed to secure the NEOM McLaren Formula E Team‘s first podium in Formula E, and his first since June 2021.

Rast admitted himself that the race “was a fight until the very last corner”, as the German finally got his season underway after retiring in Mexico City.

The 2022/23 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship and the Gen3 era has arguably started better than the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team could’ve ever dreamed, with the German manufacturer having won all three races so far this season.

After Jake Dennis won the opening race in Mexico City for Porsche’s customer team Avalanche Andretti Formula E, Pascal Wehrlein added another two wins to the Germans record at the Diriyah E-Prix double-header, with the ex-Formula 1 driver having dominated proceedings. Wehrlein was unstoppable in the races on Friday and Saturday, with the twenty-eight year-old having stormed to the front during the second-half of both races, after preserving his car’s energy during the first-half of the races.

Wehrlein proved that it doesn’t matter if he qualifies well or not, he’ll always be a figure to consider for race victory. Dennis actually claimed second in both races at the Riyadh Street Circuit as well, meaning Porsche have now had three consecutive one-two’s this season.

After winning both races in Diriyah, Wehrlein does now lead the Drivers’ Championship by six points, over Dennis. On the other side of the Porsche garage, it was a challenging weekend for António Félix da Costa, who failed to claim a single point across both races. He made up great ground in the second race but couldn’t quite break into the points, as he continues to settle into his new team.

Despite Da Costa’s struggles, Porsche have certainly cemented themselves as the title favourites, with their car having performed incredibly well at two completely different circuits.

Pascal Wehrlein was certainly the star of the Diriyah E-Prix double-header, with the German driver having incredibly won both races to claim the lead of the Drivers’ Championship.

The TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team driver likely won’t forget rounds two and three of the 2022/23 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship anytime soon, with both of his wins at the Riyadh Street Circuit having come thanks to some exceptional racecraft. His victory on Friday was arguably the better of the two, with the German having won from ninth on the grid, whilst on Saturday he started fifth.

Whilst his wins came from different starting positions, his strategy in both was virtually identical, with Wehrlein having sat comfortably in the leading train for the first-half of both races. In doing so, he preserved huge amounts of energy, something which meant he was able to effectively go flat-out in the second-half of the races. He made everything look so remarkably easy, with nobody having been in a position to stop him. Wehrlein literally drove straight past multiple drivers down the main straight, thanks to his energy advantage.

The German proved that it ultimately doesn’t matter if he makes the duels or not, with his Porsche powertrain having the ability to manage its energy better than anyone else.

Unsurprisingly, Wehrlein will “never forget” the weekend, with the German having won his fiftieth race in the series on Friday.

Upon débuting in 2024, Extreme H will be a hydrogen-powered sibling of Extreme E. However, the new series won’t just use the Spark ODYSSEY 21 like its electric counterpart. In an interview with Autosport, Extreme E Chief Championship Officer James Taylor revealed plans of the Extreme H vehicle having a “generation two” chassis that can be fitted with hydrogen cell.

Spark Racing Technology is developing the chassis, like they do for Extreme E and Formula E. Specifics were not revealed, though the series hopes to have a prototype ready for testing by June.

“Spark we’ve had great success with on the Formula E car and the Extreme E car, so it was a natural progression to work with them on Extreme H as well,” Taylor told Autosport.

Extreme H was unveiled prior to the start of the 2022 Extreme E season. XE already has some hydrogen elements such as the use of hydrogen generators from AFC Energy for the paddock and cars.

Hydrogen in motorsport has increased in popularity in recent years, especially as the element is easily producible and does not require much energy. The HYRAZE League, organised by ADAC and HWA, was seemingly set to be the first series exclusively racing with hydrogen vehicles with an inaugural season in 2023, though few updates have come since. As a result, barring any new developments, Extreme H appears poised to claim that moniker in 2024.

Ty Dillon is the grandson of Richard Childress, which makes it reasonable that he spent his early NASCAR career competing for Richard Childress Racing. However, save for a few one-offs early in his Cup Series career, he had mostly stayed away from RCR since graduating to the top level full-time, instead competing for allies and other teams even in the lower tiers.

After his last race for RCR during the 2018 Xfinity Series season, he will return to the organisation for a part-time Xfinity slate in 2023. He will drive the #3 Chevrolet Camaro, as he did when he was an Xfinity regular from 2014 to 2016 and while making sporadic starts in 2017 and 2018. Ferris Mowers will sponsor his car for the starts.

A specific schedule was not revealed other than the first race being at Darlington Raceway on 13 May. As he is a Cup full-timer, he can only run five Xfinity races at most.

“I’m excited to be partnering with Ferris once again,” said Dillon. “Ferris has supported my career since 2013 when I drove dirt late models and I’m grateful for a continuing relationship. To carry and represent their brand ten years later is an honour and I know we will accomplish great success on and off the track in 2023.”

During his three full Xfinity seasons with RCR, he scored a win at Indianapolis in his first year and a best points finish of third in 2015. After two years away, he returned to the Xfinity Series in 2021 entering occasional races for multiple teams including Big Machine Racing Team, JD Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, Jordan Anderson Racing, and Our Motorsports. In four 2022, races, he recorded a sixth at Loudon for Big Machine.

The much anticipated NASCAR Cup Series Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 entry at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, to race as a Garage 56 entry, will be piloted by a triumvirate of racing stars in Jimmie Johnson and Mike Rockenfeller, who have stock car experience and raced together in IMSA, and Jenson Button. NASCAR announced the lineup on Saturday.

Johnson is an unsurprising pick as a seven-time NASCAR Cup champion and one of the greatest drivers in the sport’s history. Hendrick Motorsports, with whom he had spent his entire Cup career until his retirement from full-time NASCAR racing at the end of 2020, is preparing the Le Mans entry. The run will add to a busy year for Johnson as he returns to NASCAR as an owner/driver of Legacy Motor Club.

Rockenfeller won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2010. The longtime Audi factory driver and DTM star eventually linked up with Chevrolet and raced a Cadillac alongside Johnson at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona in 2021 and 2022. The German has been testing the Garage 56 car since its announcement before making his NASCAR début at Watkins Glen in August.

“The last two years and sharing the car with him here at the Rolex 24 how much fun we’ve had, the relationship we’ve built, and honestly being around one another and both being in the Action Express car really helped us move forward with this programme and be in the early days of developing the car, and then now we’ve got the nod to participate in it together,” said Johnson. “It’s been a great couple of years. I think we’ve built a great friendship, and certainly looking forward to racing together in Le Mans.”

Button might be known for his decorated Formula One career, but the 2009 World Champion has been eyeing other adventures since his exit in 2017. He won the Super GT championship in 2018, ran that year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans but retired, and has even competed in off-road in Extreme E, Nitro Rallycross, and the Baja 1000. The lattermost means the Garage 56 lineup with have two of three drivers with Baja experience as Johnson was an off-road racer in his early career.

Pascal Wehrlein claimed a second consecutive victory to complete the double at the Diriyah E-Prix, with the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team driver having moved to the top of the Drivers’ Championship, after a sensational performance at rounds two and three of the 2022/23 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. Jake Dennis finished second for the second race in a row, whilst René Rast completed the podium after an excellent late defensive display.

Evans Leads Early Stages

After yet another incredible drone show, all eyes were on the grid, with many wondering if Dennis and Wehrlein could once again storm through the field, or if Jake Hughes could turn his maiden pole position into a maiden victory. Only time would tell under the night sky in Diriyah.

As all twenty-two drivers made their way round to the starting grid at the Riyadh Street Circuit, the front-row saw Hughes alongside Mitch Evans, with both being eager for a win. As the lights went out, it was Evans who made the better start despite having been on the dirty side of the grid, with the New Zealander having remained on the inside of Hughes into the opening corner to gain the lead. All the drivers made it through the opening corners cleanly, unlike yesterday, with Wehrlein having already made up a place, whilst Edoardo Mortara made up two.

The drivers settled into the race incredibly quickly, with little overtaking having taken place after the opening corner on the first lap, with it appearing that all were attempting to preserve energy. There really was very little action during the opening eight laps, with the only overtake having been by André Lotterer on Oliver Rowland further down the field. Everything remained very polite at the front, with somewhat of a train having formed behind Evans.

Wehrlein Charges Once Again

On Lap Nine, Evans decided to activate his first Attack Mode, dropping him behind both NEOM McLaren Formula E Team drivers; however, a lap later Hughes opted to activate his first, demoting him back behind Evans. Evans and Hughes activating their first Attack Mode elevated Rast into the lead, with the German having quickly built himself a little gap. Rast’s gap was enough for him to activate his own Attack Mode on Lap Eleven and crucially maintain the lead, meaning he jumped both Evans and Hughes.