Motorsports Racing News & Blog Articles

Mario Isola, Pirelli’s Motorsport Director, has praised the strength of the three tyre compounds used across the weekend at the Mexico City Grand Prix, stating that the results seen across the weekend from the tyres, bring great satisfaction to the tyre manufacturer.

Pirelli selected the middle of the range of their tyres for the weekend’s FIA Formula 1 World Championship action at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, with the C2 representing the Hard tyre, C3 the Medium and C4 being the Soft compound of tyre.

The grid on Sunday’s race saw a mix of drivers electing to start on the Soft and Medium tyres, with Max Verstappen starting on the C4 compound in an attempt to preserve his lead on the opening lap.

Lewis Hamilton, who started on the Medium compound, was brought into the pits for the Hard tyre on lap thirty-two, as the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team gambled on Verstappen, who was now on the Medium compound, having to pit for a second time in the race.

Verstappen was able to maintain his pace on his Medium compound until the end of the race to take the chequered flag, for his fourteenth race victory of the season. After the race, many questioned Mercedes’ choice to head onto the Hard compound; even more so after Daniel Ricciardo was able to undertake a forty-four lap stint on his starting Medium tyres, which then subsequently allowed the Australian to come home on the Soft compound for a seventh-placed finish.

Otmar Szafnauer, the Team Principal of the BWT Alpine F1 Team, has remarked that he and his team leave the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez “disappointed”, after the team was cruelly denied a double points finish following Fernando Alonso’s late retirement from the Mexico City Grand Prix.

Alpine’s failure to secure a double points finish was further compounded by McLaren F1 Team’s success on Sunday, allowing the Woking-based team to reduce the gap between the two constructors to just seven points, in the tightly contested battle for fourth in the FIA Formula 1 World Championship Constructors’ Standings.

Alonso had looked set for a seventh-place finish until the Spaniard lost a cylinder on the engine of his A522. The two-time World Champion would allow Esteban Ocon to pass him on lap sixty, as the Spaniard struggled to deal with the damage sustained to his engine.

Alonso’s race would come to a premature end four laps later, as the Alpine team deemed the damage on his A522 to be too severe. Szafnauer revealed that despite the team’s best effort to keep Alonso in the race, the damage to the engine was simply “not sustainable” to keep running in the Grand Prix.

“This race was always going to prove challenging with the unique conditions in Mexico City and we leave here disappointed in the fact we only had one car see the chequered flag. Unfortunately, Fernando suffered a cylinder failure on lap 52 and he was having to manage on five cylinders – meaning a significant lack of power – to try and remain inside the points. Eventually the problem was not sustainable, and he had to retire the car.“

Haas F1 Team finished outside the points after Sunday’s seventy-one lap race around the Autódromo Hermans Rodriguez, in Mexico City, as Mick Schumacher came across the line in sixteenth place, with his team-mate Kevin Magnussen finishing just behind the German driver in seventeenth.

Schumacher started the race in fifteenth after moving up a place due to Magnussen being given a five-place grid penalty for an engine change. The German driver began on the Soft compound tyres where on the opening lap, he managed to lose two places.

Schumacher was soon able to settle into a rhythm on the high altitude circuit. He pitted on lap twenty-five for Medium tyres which carried him through to the end of the race where he finished in sixteenth.

“We saw in FP3 that once the track gets colder, it seemed that others were performing a bit better than us.” explained the German.

“We knew the pace was there yesterday but it wasn’t there today, there wasn’t anything wrong with the strategy or anything in that sense. That was our pace and we have to live with it today. I’m sure that in Brazil, things might look very different again.”

Mike Potter, a journeyman of the NASCAR Cup Series for nearly fifteen years, passed away on Monday morning at the age of 73. He had long been battling an illness.

“Some sad news to share on this Monday – we have learned that Mike Potter passed away this morning,” reads a statement from the Super Cup Stock Car Series, in which Potter was a regular as both an owner and driver.

“Mike Potter first came to the Super Cup Stock Car Series in 2013 with a storied racing career at tracks such as Kingsport Speedway and Bristol Motor Speedway as well as 60 official starts in the NASCAR Cup Series, including the 1992 Daytona 500. His first successes in the SCSCS were as a team owner, starting with Ben Ebeling’s win at Lonesome Pine in 2016 in his first career start. In 2019, Jon Kerley would win the Veterans Classic at Shenandoah Speedway in a car fielded by Potter, a fitting victory as both served our country in the Marines. Mike Potter would even have his time of achievement behind the wheel later in 2019, taking the checkered flag at Midvale Speedway.

“More important than all those accomplishments was his sheer friendliness in the pit area, always checking in to see how everyone was doing. He was so appreciative to have the chance to see all the competitors and team members while at Tri-County Speedway only nine days ago. We will surely miss Mike Potter and ask that you please keep all of his family and friends in your thoughts.”

Potter competed in the Cup Series from 1979 to 1993 for a litany of teams owned by the likes of Buddy Arrington, Roger Hamby, Elmo Langley, current Xfinity Series team owner Jimmy Means, Bobby Wawak, and himself. His series debut came at the 1979 Southeastern 500 at Bristol, where the great Dale Earnhardt scored his first of seventy-six wins. While he did not see much success due as they were middling-at-best operations, he recorded ten top-twenty finishes in sixty tries. His best career finish was fifteenth at Nashville in 1981.

Fraser McConnell took his first-ever win in Group E as he drove the perfect weekend followed by his Dreyer & Reinbold companions Robin Larsson and Andreas Bakkerud

Fraser started on pole after becoming the top qualifier on Saturday and continued his momentum into Sunday’s racing, winning his heat race and starting on pole in the final. From there he got the better start over Robin Larsson and managed to keep the position. His win was at risk as Larsson would be nipping at his heels for the entire race but Frazz didn’t crack securing the victory. Andreas Bakkerud would follow closely behind in third place to lock out the podium for DRR drivers.

With the consistency that RX Cartel has managed to maintain this far into the season, they have managed to stay atop the standings. Larsson remains the standings leader after the conclusion of round 4 with Bakkerud and McConnell following closely right behind him. 

Managing to get his best finish of the season was Oliver Bennet, the sole XITE Energy Racing driver who scored a fourth-place finish. Bennet was at the back of the pack come the end of the race but he was close to the rest of the field. A last-corner opportunity showed itself giving Bennet the chance to snag his best performance of the season. Jenson Button was unable to race this weekend after an incident in practice on Saturday deemed the car unfit to race. Button should see a return to racing at Wild Horse Pass for Round 5.

The Swedish brothers down at OMSE had a balanced weekend for both of them, finally avoiding major incidents or car troubles. Kevin Eriksson and Oliver Eriksson both made it into the final without difficulty, the ladder starting higher in the gridding order. During the final, they battled each other and Bakkerud in the midpack. Kevin and Oliver finished fifth and sixth respectively. 

With Mick Schumacher finishing in sixteenth place and Kevin Magnussen finishing seventeenth at the Mexican Grand Prix, it was a tough race for Haas F1 Team. Team Principal Günther Steiner said that the team’s disappointing result was due to a considerable pace deficit at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.  

Schumacher dropped a place from his starting position of fifteenth, unable to recover from a difficult start, while Magnussen made up two positions after starting nineteenth due to an engine penalty. Despite taking what ended up being the preferred tyre strategy, the team weren’t able to make an impact in Mexico City. 

Steiner said that hope remains for a stronger weekend at the Brazilian Grand Prix, where they will look to return to the vicinity of a points finish in order to secure eighth in the championship. Just one point ahead of Scuderia AlphaTauri, every point will count in deciding which team will take the position. 

“Today, our car just didn’t have the speed and therefore we ended up where we ended up. Hopefully Brazil suits our car better and we can get back to where we want to be.”

Ryan Vargas made his NASCAR Xfinity Series début for JD Motorsports in 2019. After four seasons and sixty-six starts, he has left the team, he announced Monday. The departure comes two days after finishing twenty-ninth in the team’s #6 at Martinsville.

“I have made the decision to leave JD Motorsports following my final contracted race with the team this past weekend at Martinsville,” said Vargas. “This decision was not an easy one to make, but as the year progressed, it became clear to me that I was ready to take a leap of faith and turn the page on this chapter of my racing career and life.

“I would like to thank Johnny, the entire Davis family and his team for nearly four years of experience both in the garage and behind the wheel. With two Top-10’s and numerous top-20 finishes, we accomplished a lot and proved we can compete.

“For 2023 and beyond, I look to position myself in a new environment where I can be utilized as an asset both behind the wheel and within the business operations of a team. While my plans are still in the air, you will still see me behind the wheel of a race car and I am confident I will be able to land on my feet and make the most of the next opportunity.

“While one chapter ends, another begins.”

The Ford Motor Company has enjoyed plenty of success at the SCORE International Baja 1000, from the legendary Broncos of the late Rod Hall and Parnelli Jones’ “Big Oly” to the Raptor Trophy Trucks driven by Bryce Menzies and Cameron Steele. For the 2022 race on 15–20 November, Ford Performance will début the new Ranger Raptor with support from Lovell Racing and Kelly Racing.

Lovell Racing’s owner Brad Lovell was inducted into the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame on Sunday. Over the weekend, he clinched the Ultra4 USA 4600 championship in a Ford Bronco that he shared with his 16-year-old son Adam; Lovell and fellow Bronco drivers Vaughn Gittin Jr. and Bailey Cole had dominated the 4600 class all season. As part of his Ultra4 racing, Lovell oversees Ford’s rock crawling and Bronco racing programme. He has also won championships in short course racing and the Baja Challenge class at he 2012 Baja 1000.

Kelly Racing is led by 2005 Bathurst 1000 winner Todd Kelly and previously competed in the Supercars Championship until 2022. While it might seem out of place for an Australian touring car outfit to dabble in American off-road racing, the Raptor Ranger was developed in Australia and will not be sold in North America until 2023, thereby making the Baja 1000 a prime location to show off the new vehicle in advance. Australian automotive part company ARB 4×4 Accessories is also involved with the Baja project.

“By entering this event, we’re building on the hundreds of thousands of kilometres of development testing and pushing the Ranger Raptor to new extremes,” said Ford Performance off-road racing supervisor Brian Novak. “The Baja 1000 is a demanding event and a well-known proving ground for off-road vehicles We are excited to compete in this extreme event with Ranger Raptor.”

The truck will be fuelled by a low-carbon biofuel created by Shell. Thirty percent of the biofuel is sustainable material.

Scuderia AlphaTauri’s Chief Engineer of Vehicle Performance, Claudio Balestri, reflected on a difficult race around the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City, as Pierre Gasly just finished outside the points in eleventh place and team-mate Yuki Tsunoda did not finish, after being hit by McLaren F1 Team’s Daniel Ricciardo in the latter stages of the Grand Prix.

Both AlphaTauri drivers started in the back half of the grid after being knocked out in the second round of qualifying on Saturday. With the possibility of a points finish up for grabs, it was everything to play for.

Gasly made it a challenge for himself to score some points for the team after receiving a five-second time penalty, due to forcing Lance Stroll off the circuit at Turn Four and failing to give the position back to the Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One Team driver. This now means that the Frenchman has ten penalty points and is only two away from becoming the first driver in Formula 1 to be given a race ban, after being awarded a single point for the infringement.

Gasly served his five-second time penalty in the pits and after having a messy race, was in contention for a points finish; however, he missed out on the final points place to Valtteri Bottas and finished in eleventh.

Tsunoda, on the other hand, was having a great race and was set to score some points but, towards the end of the Grand Prix, the Japanese driver was hit into by Ricciardo at Turn Six, and was forced to retire by the team due to sustaining substantial damage to his right sidepod.

Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One Team Team Principal Mike Krack was open and honest about his thoughts and opinions after the Mexico City Grand Prix, in which, Krack seemed to be disappointed that neither driver had the necessary pace to fend off competitors this time round.

Compared to other races on the 2022 calendar, the Mexico City GP proved to be one of the most challenging. The intense heat and humidity required the drivers to be calm and calculated in their driving, whilst keeping an eye on the temperature of the brakes and tyres which can easily overheat in the hot afternoon sun.

Krack commented on the precise skill and measured approach the team was forced to take during the weekend, in order to ensure a solid performance. The race management was more difficult than expected for the team, as the side failed to reach where they wanted to be during the race.

“This is a race where you need to skilfully manage the brakes and tyres. And, despite the best efforts of our drivers and engineers to do just that, we were never really in a position to capitalise.”

The opening laps for both drivers started off strong as they avoided causing any collateral damage as they turned into the first corner on the first lap, with Lance Stroll quickly climbing up five places on the grid and Sebastian Vettel keeping a level head and remaining cautious in his driving. However, the pace was more difficult to come by as both drivers seemed to lack overall pace all afternoon.

Both the Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One Team drivers failed to score points at the Mexico City Grand Prix, after a chaotic backup of traffic towards the back of the grid at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.

After racing in the United States the week before and showing competitive pace and further potential for Mexico, the AMR22 was more of a handful for four-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel, who fell short of the top ten by gaining only two places from qualifying, finishing in fourteenth position.

Like the other teams, the drivers were struggling with balancing the temperature of the car. Vettel seemed to be hanging on to the cars in front of him and remained in the midst of the traffic, until the driver had a fairly close encounter with Scuderia AlphaTauri driver Yuki Tsunoda, as the driver emerged back on the track.

“Overall, we were just a little bit too slow today. At the start of the race, I could hold on to the cars in front of me, but then I was a bit unlucky to get tangled up with Yuki [Tsunoda].”

“His car was damaged, and he came back onto the track right in front of me – I lost too much time and was an easy target for the others. The car did not feel too great and the afternoon was a bit of a struggle – but, luckily, we did not lose too much ground in the fight for sixth in the Constructors’ Championship.”

Despite the challenging weather conditions and a shaky start to the Mexico City Grand Prix, Head of Vehicle Performance at Williams Racing, Dave Robson is proud of what the team achieved on Sunday despite Nicholas Latifi struggling with car damage early on in the race.

After a disappointing qualifying session on Saturday, where the two Williams drivers ended up at the very back of the grid in the nineteenth and twentieth position, Robson was “very pleased” with what the team achieved and was glad the team managed to deliver on pace, which made the car competitive amongst their competitors.

“Following a frustrating day yesterday, we can be very pleased with how we performed today. Racing in Mexico City is always challenging but we were able to get the car into a pretty good place such that it was easily managed and had good pace relative to our competitors.”

Similar to the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team, Williams were hoping the Hard tyre would unlock the car’s potential and allow Latifi to improve his race and deliver a competitive pace. However, it seemed that the white-walled tyres did exactly the opposite and significantly harmed Latifi’s race as his pace began to deteriorate.

“We pitted Nicholas early for the Hard tyre but unfortunately this was a poor tyre today and, coupled with some car damage, it harmed Nicky’s race. We were able to leave Alex out on his Medium tyre whilst we monitored the performance of the cars that started the race on Soft. Once it became clear that a Medium-Soft one-stop was possible we were able to commit to this with Alex.” 

Following a frustrating qualifying session on Saturday, the Williams Racing team were overall happy with their performance at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez circuit during the Mexico City Grand Prix. Alex Albon just fell short of scoring points and made it home in twelfth position, after starting the race in the seventeenth position, his fastest lap being 1:22.914s, more than two seconds behind George Russell‘s fastest lap, which came in at 1:20.153s.

After a difficult start, Albon was happy with the pace which he felt to be “relatively strong” as the race progressed. The extreme weather conditions in Mexico City meant that the drivers had to be cautious when pushing the car to the limit, in order to avoid possible overheating. Albon believed that the team did well with the strategy to find gaps of clean, dry air.

“Honestly, I’m really happy with today and it feels like our pace was relatively strong from where it was on Friday. We had a tricky start so we dropped to 19th and despite a few retirements, we overtook everyone else, so I think it was a good race from us.

“It was a thermal race with the dirty air making the brakes hot and then the tyres hot, so we did well with our strategy to find the gaps of clean air.”

Williams seem to be getting better at figuring out the strength and weaknesses of the FW44, as the results from the Mexico City GP seem to be better than the team had originally thought. Albon commented that he’s leaving Mexico with “a lot of positives” and is glad that the team are able to adapt the car to suit circuits that make racing difficult for the two Williams drivers.

Fernando Alonso has been left ruing a missed opportunity for the BWT Alpine F1 Team at the Mexico City Grand Prix, as a late retirement for the Spaniard saw Alpine miss out on their eleventh double points finish of the 2022 FIA Formula 1 World Championship.

Starting from ninth-place on the Medium tyre, Alonso was able to overtake both Lando Norris and Valtteri Bottas to run in seventh-place by the end of the opening lap. The two-time World Champion would remain largely unchallenged by Bottas, as the Finnish driver was unable to break the one-second barrier to gain the advantage of DRS.

Alonso undertook his only pit-stop of the race on lap thirty-nine as he switched to the Hard compound of tyre, in an attempt to see out a one-stop strategy. The Alpine driver was soon back in seventh-place and at one time would even hold a near ten-second advantage over his team-mate, who was able to get ahead of Bottas and into eighth-place.

Alonso’s advantage over Esteban Ocon would soon disappear, as he lost a cylinder on the engine of his A522, stunting any possible progress left in the race for Alonso. On lap sixty, Alonso would allow Ocon to pass him on the start/finish straight as the Frenchman was locked in battle with Daniel Ricciardo. Just four laps later, the Spaniard was forced to pull up just after turn one, as the damage sustained to his engine was deemed to be too severe by the Alpine team.

After a potential ninth-place finish was taken away from Alonso with six laps remaining in the Grand Prix, the Spaniard spoke on his disappointment to leave the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez empty-handed.

Pierre Gasly has entered incredibly dangerous territory following the Mexico City Grand Prix, as the Frenchman finds himself on the brink of becoming the first-ever Formula 1 driver to receive a race ban. The Scuderia AlphaTauri driver has amassed ten penalty points since May, meaning that if he is awarded two more, he’ll receive a race on the side-lines.

The Frenchman’s total isn’t set to reduce until May 2023, meaning that he’ll need to be on his best behaviour for the remaining two races of this season and the start of next season, to avoid an embarrassing ban. The BWT Alpine F1 Team, who Gasly is, of course, joining next season, will likely need to prepare a Reserve Driver to complete a race next season, with the odds certainly being against the French driver.

He endured a messy race at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, despite finishing eleventh. Gasly was awarded a five-second time penalty during the race for forcing Lance Stroll off the circuit at Turn Four, where he then failed to relinquish the position. Gasly dived down the inside of the Canadian at the corner in question, but was out of control of his AT03. Stroll had nowhere to go but off the track, meaning that the AlphaTauri driver should’ve returned the position.

As well as the time penalty Gasly was also awarded a sole penalty point, which took his tally to ten.

The Frenchman labelled the race as a “real shame”, after being “disappointed” to have failed to score any points.