Motorsports Racing News & Blog Articles

Mike Krack has dismissed Pierre Gasly’s claims that the penalty handed to him during the Mexico City Grand Prix for pushing Lance Stroll off track whilst he attempted an overtake was harsh, with the Team Principal of the Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team insisting everyone knows the rules and the penalty was always going to come once the Frenchman failed to give the place back.

Gasly is two penalty points away from a race ban after the Scuderia AlphaTauri driver was handed his penalty for the Stroll incident at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez last Sunday, with the Frenchman pushing the Canadian off track at turn four and staying ahead of him as they both re-joined the track.

No call came from the stewards to give the place back, with Gasly insisting that was the reason why he did not concede the place to Stroll, something he was surprised about.

“I’m a racing driver,” Gasly is quoted as saying by PlanetF1.com. “If I see a gap, I go for a gap.

“If you are not happy about it then tell me to give the position back and I’ll try again.  I wasn’t given any comments, so that’s a shame.

Otmar Szafnauer, the Team Principal of the BWT Alpine F1 Team, feels the unreliability issues that have affected the team during the 2022 FIA Formula 1 World Championship season are, whilst unfortunate, justified due to their aims of making their power unit more competitive.

Renault said prior to the season that they had focused their development programme on performance rather than reliability, and the team has seen an improvement in pace during 2022 that has seen them rise to fourth place in the Constructors’ Championship with two race weekends to go.

However, they have left plenty of points on the table due to reliability issues, with the latest seeing Fernando Alonso retire whilst running seventh in the Mexico City Grand Prix after an engine related problem, meaning they only lead the McLaren F1 Team by seven points.

Szafnauer believes the issues that have cost Alonso and Esteban Ocon points during the current season can be resolved ahead of the 2023 campaign, and the pain that the retirements are currently causing will be rewarded in the future.

“We mustn’t forget that at the beginning of the year we set out – and this was before I was here, but I think it was the right decision on the powertrain side – to err on the side of performance,” Szafnauer is quoted of saying by Motorsport.com

Michael Andretti‘s Formula 1 dream might be on the verge of coming true, after F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali announced that having an eleventh team is “not a problem” for the championship.

Andretti’s previous attempt to enter an American team into the championship was denied by the Italian, who appears to have had a change of heart in regard to a new team entering the series. Andretti has previously stated to GPFans that F1 would “be our life” should they get a side into the series, which would open a viable pathway for American talent to reach the pinnacle of four-wheeled motorsport.

The current ten sides in the series have seen their value dramatically increase since the sport’s takeover by Liberty Media, with the series currently producing record profits. Should an eleventh team join, then a sum of $200 million would be divided amongst the teams as an anti-dilution fee, to ensure that no current outfit loses money as a result of a new entry.

Whilst the prospect of two more cars on the grid is incredibly exciting for fans, Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team boss Toto Wolff has previously rejected the idea of an eleventh team being good for the sport, unless it works in favour for the current sides. Domenicali has previously echoed the points made by the Austrian; however, a change of heart appears to have taken place.

“It is not a problem having one more team to have better racing, therefore we will see and we will monitor the situation,” said Domenicali in an investors’ call.

Things are certainly looking up for seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton, after back-to-back second-place finishes at the United States and Mexico City Grand Prix.

It’s been by far Hamilton’s toughest season at the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team, in fact, it’s been the Silver Arrows worst season of the hybrid era. The British driver was a ragdoll in the first part of the season, after often getting out of the W13 with spinal pain, something which became serious at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Hamilton required help after the race at the Baku City Circuit to get out of his car, following a torment of harsh porpoising.

The start of the year was so bad for the Stevenage-born driver that he was supposedly considering his options going forward, with multiple media outlets having linked the Brit to retirement. Fast forward to the end of the year, though, and any links to a potential retirement have been firmly diminished, with Hamilton set to sign a contract extension in the “next couple of months”.

The second half of the year has been considerably better for the thirty-seven year old, who has claimed a podium finish at seven of the last twelve races. After being beaten by team-mate George Russell for the majority of the first-half of the season, Hamilton has certainly been the better Mercedes driver since the Canadian Grand Prix, where his performances dramatically improved.

With Mercedes and Hamilton targeting a return to the top in 2023, Team Principal Toto Wolff confirmed in Mexico that contract extension talks will take place “over the winter”, once the season has concluded.

It’s been the most challenging of season’s for the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team, who have seen their eight-year reign of the World Constructors’ Championship come to a shocking end.

2022 has been the Germans most challenging season in the hybrid era, with the side having fallen down the pecking order after so many years of complete domination. Despite two much better results at the recent races in the United States and Mexico CIty, the damage in regard to the championship was done in the first-half of the year, as a result of the side’s porpoising issues.

Lewis Hamilton and George Russell have gotten the most out of the W13 this season, with the duo having achieved fifteen podiums between them in what has been a car well below the standards set by Oracle Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Ferrari.

Whilst it does appear that the Brackley-based team have moved ahead of Ferrari in terms of performance, they still sit forty points behind in the standings, a gap that looks too big to overcome with just two races remaining.

A win is the main thing, though, that continues to elude the Germans, with it looking set that the side won’t win a race this season for the first-time since 2012.

Valtteri Bottas was a busy man prior to last weekend’s uneventful Mexico City Grand Prix, as the Finnish driver spent some time at the Early Childhood education hub in Mexico City, which is a Save the Children-supported facility.

The visit occurred due to Save the Children being Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN‘s official charity partner, a partnership that has existed since 2019. Save the Children is, of course, the world’s leading children’s rights organisation and strives to offer all children across the globe access to quality, but equally safe education. Due to this target, the company supports the Early Childhood education hub in Mexico’s capital, which gives children with difficult backgrounds support and a chance at a bright future.

Bottas was lucky enough to visit the facility and take part in one of the hub’s HEART (Healing and Education through the Arts) sessions, which saw the Finnish driver join the children in various activities, something the students will certainly never forget. Bottas also unveiled a special helmet which will be auctioned to raise funds for Save the Children; he was also overwhelmed to receive a t-shirt from one of the children.

The thirty-three year old was very pleased to visit the facility, something he highlighted as a “humbling experience”.

“Being able to see first-hand what Save the Children does in the community has been an important experience. No matter from which background they come, all kids have the same needs and it’s key they have the same opportunities.

2023 Mexican Grand Prix tickets will go on sale early this year after an extremely successful 2022 event.

The tickets for the event will be available on the 16 November 2022 at 10:00 HRS Local Time through the Mexican Ticketmaster website.

The 2023 event is scheduled to go ahead from October 27-29 and with recent years being successful, the expectations for next year are for the event to go to another level.

It first appeared as a non-championship event in 1962, before being held as a championship event in 1963–1970 and later on between 1986–1992. The Grand Prix returned in 2015 at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez and has been successful ever since.

The 2022 Mexican Grand Prix saw Max Verstappen claim his fourteenth win of the season and break yet another record. Home favourite, Sergio Pérez also finished third on the podium, with the Mexican driver being a massive attraction for his home crowd.

Haas Formula 1 Team have announced that the American-licensed racing team will be teaming up with one of the world’s biggest acai brands for the remaining races of the 2022 season.

For just the two remaining races, the distinct OAKBERRY logo will feature of the VF-22, alongside featuring on the racing suit of Haas reserve driver Pietro Fittipaldi. The Miami-born Brazilian recently participated in the Mexican Grand Prix Free Practice One last Friday and will soon have the opportunity to get stuck into the Formula 1 2022 season finale at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi.

Designed to meet an unattended demand in the culinary food market; OAKBERRY is a healthy fast food company that creates beverages that celebrate the acai berry, a berry native to the Amazon rainforest. With over five-hundred locations in over forty countries, the brand is rapidly growing its portfolio and is now recognised as the fastest-growing Brazilian chain worldwide and serves nutritious acai bowls and smoothies in five continents, including a collection of select Formula 1 events.

CEO of Haas Gunther Steiner commented on the new relationship between the racing team and OAKBERRY and his hopes for the future.

“We’re delighted to welcome OAKBERRY to the team, which is perfect timing ahead of our very own Brazilian, Pietro, getting behind the wheel of the VF-22 once again this week [in Mexico].

To no real surprise, Kyle Busch Motorsports will switch from Toyota to Chevrolet for the 2023 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, aligning with their namesake owner’s move. With the team’s drivers being part of Toyota’s development programme, they had to draw their new racers from Chevrolet’s pool, which ultimately procured Chase Purdy and Jack Wood. Purdy will drive the #4 Chevrolet Silverado RST while Wood will share the #51 with Busch and various other drivers.

KBM will also assist ARCA Menards Series team Rev Racing in establishing a Truck Series arm. Freshly crowned ARCA champion Nick Sanchez will contest the full Truck season in the #2 Silverado.

“Obviously, there will be a lot of change at KBM in 2023, but our goal as an organisation remains the same that it always has been and that’s to go out and win races and provide the young drivers in our lineup everything they need to reach their full potential,” said Busch. “We have the right people in place to be able to accomplish those goals for our two trucks as well as being able to provide technical support to Rev Racing as they expand into the Truck Series and create a pipeline for young drivers in their programme to advance their careers to the next level.”

Wood migrates from fellow Chevrolet team GMS Racing, with whom he is contesting his rookie season and currently sits twenty-third in points with a best finish of thirteenth at Atlanta. He is a member of Chevy’s Drivers Edge Development who first entered the Trucks in 2021 after spending the last two years competing in the ARCA Menards Series West for his family-run team.

“Growing up racing on the West Coast, I never would’ve dreamed that I’d be racing for Kyle Busch Motorsports and sharing a truck with Kyle,” Wood commented. “It’s truly the opportunity of a lifetime and I can’t even put into words how excited that I am.

Jimmie Johnson ended his legendary NASCAR Cup Series career after the 2020 season, but he is back for more in 2023. On Friday, Johnson announced he has become a part-owner of Petty GMS Motorsports and will race a limited slate for the team beginning with the 2023 Daytona 500.

The partnership brings together two of the greatest drivers in NASCAR history as Johnson and co-owner Richard Petty both have a record seven Cup championships apiece; Maury Gallagher, the “GMS” of the team, has a pair of Camping World Truck Series titles. The team has seen rapid growth in recent years, going from a one-car operation in 2021 as Richard Petty Motorsports to two in 2022 following a merger with GMS Racing, during which Erik Jones won at Darlington. For 2023, the team will field the #43 for Jones and the #42 for rookie Noah Gragson, who is currently vying for an Xfinity Series championship.

“What an exciting time for Petty GMS,” said Petty. “This year, we’ve accomplished so much together with Maury and now adding Jimmie will only continue to help us grow. To have Jimmie—another seven-time champion—as a part of the team, and his abilities both on track and off will be special for Petty GMS. I’m looking forward to having him as a part of our team and seeing what we can build together.”

Besides seven titles, Johnson’s eighty-three Cup victories are the sixth most in series history. Although he stepped away from full-time NASCAR racing after 2020, the urge to continue his career remained as he dabbled in IMSA and the NTT IndyCar Series; he even returned to his off-road roots in early 2022 when he ran the Race of Champions and helped Team USA to a runner-up in the Nations Cup. While he scored a pair of class podiums in IMSA including the 2021 Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona, he never seemed to get the hang of IndyCar as he finished outside the top twenty in points in both seasons of competition. Despite Johnson’s IndyCar struggles, he proved his meddle on ovals translated well as his two lone top tens came at Texas and Iowa and he won 2022 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year.

In September, Johnson announced he would step away from regular IndyCar competition, opening the door to a NASCAR return. While once again focusing on stock cars, he has expressed interest in performing “Double Duty” by running the Indy 500 and NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 on the same day.

Daniel Ricciardo is set to leave McLaren F1 Team at the end of the current 2022 FIA Formula 1 World Championship season, and he has commented on his plans in 2023 and beyond as he plots an ambitious and remarkable return to the front of the grid later down the line.

Ricciardo has seen his viable F1 options dry up in the last few months and is reportedly not willing to take a seat lower down the grid, as he aims to return to the front of the grid in his next career path.

Despite months of poor performances, the recent Mexico City Grand Prix reminded fans and pundits alike what the Australian driver is capable of, with Ricciardo finishing as ‘best of the rest’ in seventh place despite being given a ten-second penalty for a collision with Yuki Tsunoda.

Ricciardo plans to stay in F1 in a reserve role and build up his confidence again ahead of the 2024 season.

“I can confidently say that I won’t be on the grid behind a wheel [next year],” Ricciardo told Sky Sports F1 after the Mexican Grand Prix.

Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN made a bid for innovation as the team announced a new partnership with information technology services provider, KIO, ahead of last weekend’s Mexico City Grand Prix.

Based in Mexico, KIO aims to build an effective digital transformation strategy through innovative technological solutions and a solid infrastructure services. KIO operates over forty next-level data centres that are installed with the highest security possible, availability, and density to manage and monitor public, private and hybrid Cloud services, cybersecurity, business applications, automation and artificial intelligence.

KIO’s branding was visible on the Alfa Romeo C42 cards at last weekend’s Mexican Grand Prix.

Alfa Romeo Team Principal, Frédéric Vasseur was delighted to announce the deal.

“Delivering outstanding results in a fast and efficient way is the key to all our operations, and for these reasons we identify with KIO’s own business values. Their passion and dedication to what they do is very similar to our effort to always deliver the very best of our performances, both on and off track. I am proud to give our new partners my warmest welcome to the team ahead of the Mexican Grand Prix, and glad to be bringing them on track with us during their home race.”

Skyler Howes has been one of the top American riders in international rally raid, competing four times at the Dakar Rally and winning the Rallye du Maroc in early October. In recognition of his achievements, his hometown of St. George, Utah, declared Friday, 4 November 2022 to be Skyler Howes Day.

Signed by Mayor Michele Randall, the declaration was read aloud by City Councilman Gregg McArthur, who called it “really cool” and praised Howes as “a very deserving individual […] that represents us so well.”

The proclamation is as follows:

WHEREAS, Skyler Howes began riding a dirt bike at a very young age and competed in his first race when he was only four years old; andWHEREAS, in his teens, Skyler was able to procure sponsorships and raced in the Baja 500 and 1000 and the National Hare and Hound series, winning the 250cc championship in 2011; andWHEREAS, Skyler began receiving invitations to join teams, introducing him to rally races and piquing his interest in desert stage rally racing; andWHEREAS, a few years later, Skyler found himself on a team, going to prestigious competitions such as the Sonora Rally 2018 in Mexico, which he won, garnering him an entry into the 2019 Dakar Rally in Peru; andWHEREAS, Skyler participated in and won several races until he broke his neck in January, 2020; andWHEREAS, after months of healing, Skyler’s determination led him to race again and to go on to be eligible to compete in the Silver State 300, Vegas to Reno, taking first place overall; andWHEREAS, earlier this year, Skyler won the 2022 Rallye Du Maroc which is a precursor to next Dakar rally being held in Saudi Arabia in January, 2023.Now, THEREFORE, I, Michele Randall, Mayor, along with the City Council of the City of St. George, do hereby proclaim Friday, November 4, 2022 as SKYLER HOWES DAYIN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused to be affixed the Seal of the City of St, George, Utah this 3rd day of November, 2022.

Howes began racing professionally in 2012, competing in North American desert racing such as SCORE International, Best In The Desert, and the AMA National Hare and Hound Championship; in 2018, he and Garrett Poucher finished fifth in the Pro Moto Unlimited class at the legendary SCORE Baja 1000. Victories at the Dakar Challenge and Sonora Rally that year presented him with a chance to race the Dakar Rally in 2019, where he crashed out. His performances improved over the next two years as he was the highest-finishing privateer in 2020 (ninth) followed by fifth in 2021.

After his 2021 Dakar outing, he became a factory rider for Husqvarna. Despite another retirement five stages into the 2022 Rally, he rebounded in the next two World Rally-Raid Championship events. After finishing tenth at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, he won the Rallye du Maroc.

As the name suggested, Road to Indy served as the development ladder to reach the NTT IndyCar Series, with Indy Lights as the final step before reaching the top. With a string of name changes, however, one might be thinking more of ladder matches instead.

After fifteen years as Indy Lights, the second-tier series has been rebranded to Indy NXT by Firestone beginning in 2023. While the name quickly evokes comparisons to WWE’s own developmental banner by the same name, it will retain the same schedule as usual beginning with the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on 5 March.

“INDY NXT by Firestone will continue to develop and graduate new generations of racers ready to engage in breathtaking, high-stakes competition,” said IndyCar head Jay Frye. “Firestone is the perfect partner in this endeavor, with its innovative technology and authentic appreciation for INDY NXT and its vast potential.”

IndyCar took over sanctioning of Indy Lights in 2022 from Andersen Promotions. Andersen has also subjected Road to Indy to its own identity shift as it becomes the USF Pro Championships Presented by Cooper Tires. While the USF2000 and USF Juniors series retain their names, Indy Pro 2000 has been changed to USF Pro 2000.

USF Juniors, introduced in 2022, is the introductory step in the ladder. The champion receives a $248,815 (€255,190.88) scholarship to race in USF200, and the winner of that series gets one worth $440,125 (€451,403.20) to go to USF Pro 2000. Finally, the USF Pro 2000 champion earns $664,425 (€681,450.89) to get a ride in Indy NXT.

Kimi Räikkönen was the talk of the town when he entered the NASCAR Cup Series for the first time at Watkins Glen International in August. While the race did not go as planned as he crashed out, he called it “good fun” and said “we’ll see” on future starts.

If he wishes, his car owner Justin Marks is more than willing to welcome him back to the #91 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. In a media conference on Tuesday as his Trackhouse Racing Team prepares to compete for the Cup championship, Marks explained he “sort of operate[s] under the assumption that it’s kind of [Kimi’s] ride until he tells me otherwise.”

“I really enjoyed my time with Kimi and his family,” said Marks. “I thought he did an amazing job. I think without the wreck, the way the strategy was playing and how he was learning through the race was going to put us in a position for an outside shot at a top ten, certainly a top-fifteen finish, which would have been a really nice day.”

Räikkönen’s start came under the PROJECT91 banner. The programme consists of a third car, the #91, that would be piloted by international racing stars with little to no prior NASCAR experience; Räikkönen’s last stock car foray was a pair of Xfinity and Truck Series races in 2011. Although Watkins Glen was the car’s lone race of 2022, Marks expressed interest in expanding the slate for 2023, especially on road courses though he has not ruled out ovals.

“I’d love to do three, four, five races with that programme,” he continued. “It’s important to bring something to the race track that’s unique and unprecedented, and that’s kind of where we look. It’s not just Formula One. It’s what different disciplines and backgrounds and personalities and celebrity we can bring to the series.