Motorsports Racing News & Blog Articles

Dave Robson was full of praise for the engineering department at Williams Racing, with a balance change between final practice and Qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix enabling Alexander Albon to make it all the way into Q3 for the first time in 2022.

Albon qualified ninth, which will become sixth on the grid once grid penalties are applied, his best performance in Qualifying since he joined Williams at the beginning of the season.

Nicholas Latifi had the potential to make it into Q2 but had a scruffy final lap in the second FW44 saw him eliminated in Q1, but penalties for other drivers will also see him gain places on the starting grid – the Canadian will start eleventh on the grid on Sunday.

Robson, the Head of Vehicle Performance at Williams, felt the team had gone the wrong way with set-up during final practice on Saturday morning, but they were able to turn around their fortunes in time for Qualifying, and were rewarded with Albon’s first Q3 appearance of the season.

“We had a decent day today and made some good progress with the car,” said Robson.  “We made some aggressive changes overnight and these were a little bit too far in FP3, which led us to lose some of the pace we showed yesterday.

For the first time in the 2022 FIA Formula 1 World Championship season, Alexander Albon made it into Q3 in Qualifying, with the Thai driver feeling he finished ninth in the session on merit at Spa-Francorchamps.

The Williams Racing driver will start the Belgian Grand Prix from sixth on the grid thanks to penalties for other drivers, and he admitted after the session that the team had been quietly confident of a strong result in Qualifying on Saturday.

And Albon hopes the way they have set the FW44 up – it is mightily quick in a straight line – will help them stay inside the top ten on Sunday afternoon, and maybe even make places up early on.

“It felt really good out there,” said Albon.  “We’ve been quietly confident all weekend; we were looking for Q2, so Q3 is a bit unexpected but we’re very happy – this is a great result for us.

“The car was feeling strong, we’re still learning our package and we made some changes from FP3 which helped the car for qualifying. We know our car likes low downforce and, when track conditions are in a place that suits us, we can extract a good lap time out of the car.

It is often said that superspeedway racing is like a lottery as its propensity for crashes and drafting strategy lead to a mixed bag of nuts for the final results. In the case of Friday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Daytona International Speedway, only two of the top-ten finishers were locked into the playoffs prior to the green flag, with Jeremy Clements winning in triple overtime to become a third.

Clements assumed the lead as the third overtime, which occurred after the first two ended with multi-car wrecks, began. Despite pressure from A.J. Allmendinger, Brandon Brown, and Timmy Hill, Clements held the position as he took the white flag. Riley Herbst spun prior to the leaders starting the final lap, but NASCAR elected to wait until Clements crossed the start/finish line to wave the yellow flag and end the race under caution, mercifully ending an event that had been rain delayed, plagued by multiple crashes, and ended at 1 AM local time.

Due to the rain delay pushing the race’s conclusion into 27 August, the win comes exactly five years after Clements’ only other career win at Road America in 2017.

“We survived that big wreck back there, it was like a Days of Thunder wreck,” Clements recalled of the crash in the first overtime. “Then I was like, ‘If we can just keep up with these guys, it’ll be a good day, top five and bring this car home in one piece.’ But this is incredible.”

Hill had momentum on Clements until the caution ended a chance at a last-lap run, but he still scored his best career finish of second. With J.J. Yeley scoring a ninth, perennial underdog MBM Motorsports was the only team with multiple cars in the top ten.

Max Verstappen clinched pole position at the 2022 Belgian Grand Prix at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium.

Carlos Sainz was in second position, 0.632 seconds slower than Verstappen. Sergio Pérez was in third position ahead of Charles Leclerc and Esteban Ocon.

Verstappen, Leclerc, Lando Norris, Ocon, Zhou Guanyu and Mick Schumacher will start at the back of the grid due to engine penalties. Valtteri Bottas also has a twenty-place grid penalty which includes a fifteen-place grid penalty for new power unit components and a five-place grid penalty for a gearbox change.

These penalties has mixed up the starting grid. Sainz and Pérez will start on the first row. Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton will start on the second row. George Russell and Alexander Albon will start on the third row.

The start of the qualification session was delayed due to damaged barriers caused by a crash in the Porsche Supercup qualifying session. The session started after a delay of twenty-five minutes after the barriers were repaired.

McLaren F1 Team CEO Zak Brown has hit back at Otmar Szafnauer for comments the Team Principal of the BWT Alpine F1 Team made about Oscar Piastri.

Szafnauer criticised Piastri earlier this week after the Australian opted not to commit to a drive with Alpine in 2023 in favour of a possible move to McLaren.  The American said he had hoped Piastri ‘had a bit more integrity’ and would honour his contract with Alpine rather than leaving for one of their biggest rivals.

Brown dismissed the comments and, although he does not know what happened between the relationship between Alpine and Piastri, he does not feel Szafnauer is in a position to comment bearing in mind he has been part of controversy in recent years himself.

“Ultimately I don’t know any of the details between that relationship, so I think it would be unfair for me to take a position either way because I simply don’t know,” said Brown to Sky Sports.

“But judging by recent times, the way Fernando [Alonso] has departed and caught Otmar by surprise, and not too long ago he is the recipient of a €400,000 fine and 15 points [fined], I’m not sure he comes with the highest level of credibility and making accusations around ethics.”

Sergio Pérez topped the final free practice session of the 2022 Belgian Grand Prix at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium.

Max Verstappen was on top of the time charts for most of the session and was pipped by his Mexican team-mate for the top spot in the dying minutes of the session. Carlos Sainz finished in third position at the end of the session.

Pérez’s performance is significant as Verstappen and Charles Leclerc, the main contenders for pole position, will start the race at the back of the grid due to engine penalties.

The third free practice session at the Spa-Francorchamps circuitstarted in cool and overcast conditions with air temperature at 15 degrees C and track temperature at 20 degrees C.

The Pirelli tyre choice at this race is the white-striped hard compound tyres (C2), yellow-striped medium compound tyres (C3), and red-striped soft compound tyres (C4), the middle range of compounds in the Pirelli tyre range.

2023 will mark the seventy-fifth anniversary of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, and the sanctioning body intends to go big with the celebration. On Friday, NASCAR revealed a special logo commemorating the diamond anniversary, an emblem that appropriately features a diamond coloured in the yellow, blue, and red of the standard NASCAR logo.

The ovoid design takes inspiration from the yellow-and-red logo used from 1956 to 1963. According to a report by Adweek‘s Rafael Canton, the diamond is split into fifths to represent the five logos used throughout NASCAR’s history while the three colours come from the primary colours of the first three icons (red for 1948, yellow for 1956, blue for 1964). All three would be used together along with purple for the fourth logo from 1976 to 2016, while the current script logo introduced in 2017 drops the purple but retains the other three.

“As much as it is a reflection of the fairly unique and rich history of our past, we really want it to be symbolic of where we are today as a sport and as a brand, and where we expect it to go in the future,” NASCAR chief marketing officer Peter Jung told Adweek.

Both the current and anniversary logos were the work of RARE Design. The firm’s portfolio extends across many major American sports, having provided branding for the NFL’s Houston Texans, five NBA teams (Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Sacramento Kings), the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces, and the Portland Timbers of the MLS.

“From the very beginning, NASCAR has been driven by the need to race. Amid all the action and drama, it ultimately comes down to man and machine in fierce competition to see who is fastest, who is boldest, and who will be first to finish and win. This spirit is what this brand and its identity conveys,” reads RARE’s description of the NASCAR logo redesign.

What’s old is new again. Jeff Gordon is racing, North Wilkesboro Speedway‘s doors are open, and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is the third national division.

On Friday, NASCAR announced Stanley Black & Decker has become the “Official Tools Partner” of the sanctioning body while its Craftsman brand will assume title sponsorship of the Truck Series, reviving a relationship that dates back to the series’ inception.

“We celebrate the return of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series with our customers, distribution partners and employees,” stated Stanley Black & Decker executive Doug Redpath. “From proud homeowners and homebuilders to auto enthusiasts and master mechanics, Craftsman has been the brand generations have trusted to get the job done. The Truck Series represents authentic, bold and proud drivers and fans, which embody the same characteristics of our Craftsman brand. We look forward to our return in Daytona in 2023 to reunite with our loyal fans as we begin this new chapter in NASCAR history.”

Craftsman assumed naming rights for the Truck Series prior to the inaugural season in 1995. After spending that year as the “SuperTruck Series presented by Craftsman“, it was simplified to “Craftsman Truck Series” in 1996 to emphasise the title sponsor (and presciently avoid confusion with championships like the Stadium Super Trucks and Southeast Super Truck Series). The name remained until Sears Holdings, Craftsman’s owner at the time, elected to end its deal with NASCAR at the end of 2008 despite having two years left on the contract.

Camping World became the new sponsor in 2009 and dubbed it the Camping World Truck Series until the end of 2022, during which the company also briefly experimented with other names like the “Gander Outdoors Truck Series” and “Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series“. Despite Craftsman’s exit, the brand has remained involved in NASCAR by sponsoring Joe Gibbs Racing‘s Cup and Xfinity Series cars as well as Hailie Deegan‘s truck.

Greg Ives has been a mainstay atop the pit box for Hendrick Motorsports for a decade, but will call it quits after the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series seaon. On Thursday, Ives announced he will retire from being a crew chief to spend more time with his family, but will remain involved with Hendrick in an organisational capacity.

“After 17 seasons on the road and making countless memories, I’ve decided to step away as a crew chief at the end of 2022,” Ives posted online. “There are many reasons, but the most important one is the chance to focus on my family and spend more time with our kids as they grow up. Leading the #48 has been one of the great privileges of my life, and I’m excited to go into the playoffs and chase a championship with Alex and this incredible group of people. I’m also looking forward to the next step in my career, which will be here with my Hendrick Motorsports family. I’ll never have the words to properly express how grateful I am to be able to live out my dream of working in racing or properly thank everyone who has supported me along the way. Thank you for everything.”

Ives has worked for Hendrick since 2004 as a mechanic and engineer, which included helping Jimmie Johnson win five championships from 2006 to 2010. In 2013, he linked up with Hendrick ally JR Motorsports in the now-Xfinity Series, where he served as the crew chief for Regan Smith. After the Ives/Smith won twice and finished third in points, he migrated to series rookie Chase Elliott and the duo scored three wins and the championship.

The 2014 Xfinity championship was enough for Hendrick to bring Ives back to the Cup Series as the crew chief for JRM owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the #88 car. With Ives calling the shots, Earnhardt secured his final three Cup victories that year before retiring after 2017.

“Proud to call you a friend, Greg,” wrote Earnhardt. “Enjoy the change. Appreciate everything you did for JR Motorsports and as a CC for the 88 Hendrick Motorsports crew.”

Trackhouse Racing Team has blossomed into one of the top organisations in the NASCAR Cup Series, and they are understandably keen on keeping their lineup intact for the 2023 season. On Friday, Trackhouse announced Daniel Suárez has signed a one-year extension to stay in the #99 Chevrolet through 2023.

After being a journeyman to begin his time in the Cup Series, Suárez found himself as Trackhouse’s maiden driver in 2021. A winless and twenty-fifth-place campaign then led to an eruption in performance as he notched his first Cup victory at Sonoma and currently sits twelfth, with him and new team-mate Ross Chastain locked into the playoffs for the first time in their careers.

Although just a one-year deal, the move assures the 2016 Xfinity Series champion has a place where he finally belonged in NASCAR’s top level.

“Trackhouse has been amazing to me. We have worked together extremely well,” Suárez commented. “I’ve been with Trackhouse since it was on paper. It’s been a lot of fun, and I think we’re going to continue together for a while.”

In a separate announcement, Stewart-Haas Racing revealed Aric Almirola has put off his retirement plans and has instead agreed to a multi-year deal to remain in the #10 Ford.

Zane Smith has enjoyed a strong first year at Front Row Motorsports, winning the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series regular season championship with three victories. In addition to returning to FRM for the 2023 season, he will begin making select starts in the Cup and Xfinity Series including the Daytona 500.

Smith ran ten Xfinity races in 2019 for JR Motorsports and scored seven top tens, but has focused on the Truck Series since with a pair of runner-up points finishes before joining FRM in 2022. Two races into the playoffs, he is second in points with top tens in all but three events.

“We have been thrilled with the performance by Zane this season,” FRM owner Bob Jenkins said. “We always felt that he was the next breakthrough star in the sport, and he has been proving that this season. We have a plan laid out for him and our next step will be to put Zane and that team in NASCAR Cup Series races where we know we can be successful. We also want to give Zane the opportunity to win more races and a championship with our truck series program, and we are excited to see what he will do next season.”

Since becoming a Truck regular, he made one Cup and Xfinity start each with both coming in substitute duty for drivers who tested positive for COVID-19. In 2021, he filled in for Justin Haley at Kaulig Racing in the Xfinity Dover race and finished thirty-sixth after a crash. A year later, Smith made his Cup début at Gateway with RFK Racing in Chris Buescher‘s place, where he placed seventeenth.

“Chris Lawson (crew chief), his team, and Zane have really worked well together this season,” added general manager Jerry Freeze. “We do not want to change that chemistry, but also feel this team is up to the challenge with Zane to compete in the NASCAR Cup Series. We will be strategic as what races we select to enter. We want to allow Zane to highlight what many have seen him do this year at the elite level. We will announce those races later once the 2023 schedules are announced. Until that time, we are focused on winning the Truck Series championship.”

McLaren F1 Team’s Executive Director Andrea Stella praised the performance of Lando Norris in both Friday practice sessions at Spa-Francorchamps ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix this weekend.

Norris has taken a grid penalty for Sunday’s race alongside five other drivers including Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, Esteban Ocon, Valtteri Bottas and Mick Schumacher who will all be starting from the back of the grid which gives Daniel Ricciardo a great opportunity to score points for the team after finding out that he won’t be driving for McLaren next season.

Stella spoke about how the weather conditions affected both sessions, including, McLaren’s programme of understanding the tyres and the set-up for the race.

“Both practice sessions today at Spa-Francorchamps were affected by the weather, which is not a surprise here. We were well-prepared for it but nonetheless, it did impact our programme, which was aimed at understanding the tyres, choosing our best aerodynamic configuration and mechanical set-up. We have gathered useful information this afternoon and will pull it together this evening to prepare us, as much as possible, for qualifying tomorrow and Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix.

“Obviously Lando has taken a power unit penalty at this event and will be starting from the back of the grid – but he has shown good pace today, and we are optimistic he can make up positions.” 

This weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix is an incredibly special one for AMG, who are celebrating their fifty-fifth anniversary at the legendary Spa-Francorchamps, with a little help from the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team.

Founded in 1967 by engineers Hans Werner Aufrecht and Erhard Melcher, AMG have pushed the limits on car performance in both road cars and in motorsport, with the three letters alone being enough to leave goosebumps down the back of your neck. AMG’s success both on the road and in motorsport is unimaginable, whether that victory be in winning a championship, or developing a road car capable of going down in history.

The anniversary celebrations has seen Mercedes fit retro numbers to both Lewis Hamilton‘s and George Russell‘s cars, with the duo and Team Principal Toto Wolff having also driven The Mercedes-AMG ONE, the 300 SEL 6.8 AMG and the brand new GT3 EDITION 55 around the old-school circuit.

The Mercedes-AMG ONE is arguably one of the most unbelievable feats of engineering ever seen, with the hybrid system of a modern Formula 1 car having been fitted to an exclusive hypercar producing over a thousand horsepower.

Mercedes and AMG’s partnership is one of legends, with Wolff proud of how AMG have continued to push the limits on “what is possible on four wheels”.

Lando Norris was feeling positive to be back out on track as Formula 1 returned from its summer break for round fourteen of the season at Spa-Francorchamps.

Norris was nearly three seconds off the pace of Carlos Sainz Jr in Free Practice One, as he completed fifteen laps but had to settle for thirteenth place in the session. However, he turned it around in Free Practice Two with an impressive display, completing seventeen laps and finishing in third place to round off the day.

Norris felt he had a fairly good opening day out on track. After the opening two sessions, he spoke about the new upgrades that have been fitted to his car for this race weekend, and the grid penalties that he has taken meaning he will be starting from the back of the grid on Sunday.

“A reasonable first day back and it was good to get back out there. There are a few different parts on the car this weekend, so I think just understanding those and understanding the lower downforce configuration was good.

“Obviously having the power unit grid penalties this weekend, we were trying to focus more on the race, rather than qualifying. Today was more about optimisation, which hopefully will pay off more come Sunday but overall, a fairly good day.”

Despite a slow start to his Belgian Grand Prix weekend, Valtteri Bottas has stated that he and his Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN have “nothing to worry about” as the Finn expects to recover from a disappointing start to his weekend.

Free Practice One saw Bottas complete just two laps with the Finn failing to set an official time due to his C38 car suffering from a hydraulic leak in the morning session.

During the running of FP1 it was announced by the Alfa Romeo team that Bottas would be starting Sunday’s Grand Prix from the back of the grid due to new engine components being taken on his Alfa Romeo car.

A rain-affected Free Practice Two saw Bottas post the eighteenth fastest time of the session, eight-tenths behind his teammate Guanyu Zhou, who was twelfth fastest in FP2.

Speaking after what proved to be a tough first day around the Spa-Francorchamps Circuit, Bottas placed high importance on clean running in tomorrow’s practice session if the team is to achieve their goals this weekend in Belgium. 

“I was satisfied with the balance of the car, even though we obviously missed out on a session and we had to play catch-up in the rest of the day.