Motorsports Racing News & Blog Articles

Mick Schumacher admitted he is saddened by the news that Sebastian Vettel will retire from the FIA Formula 1 World Championship at the end of the season.

Vettel has acted as a kind of mentor to Schumacher since he joined Formula 1 at the start of last season, much like his father Michael Schumacher did to Vettel when he joined the sport.

Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team’s Vettel confirmed that 2022 would be his last year in Formula 1 on Thursday, and Haas F1 Team’s Schumacher says it will leave a huge hole in the sport.

“Of course, I’m very sad on one side,” Schumacher is quoted as saying by Motorsport.com. “He is obviously going to leave a huge hole in the sport, because he’s such a character in F1, and such a special person.

“But he’s also such a likeable person. So I’ll miss him very much.  It’s much more than just the races.  It’s being able to go visit him in the evenings and have dinner with him. That’s what I’m really going to miss.

Following a health scare after Sunday’s NTT IndyCar Series race at Iowa Speedway that resulted in hospitalisation, Josef Newgarden has been medically cleared to at least run Friday’s Gallagher Grand Prix practice session. He will be examined afterwards to determine if he can qualify later in the day and run the race itself.

“Following the event at Iowa Speedway and per IndyCar protocol, the driver of the #2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet Josef Newgarden was evaluated this afternoon by IndyCar medical director Dr. Geoffrey Billows,” reads an IndyCar statement. “The examination determined that Newgarden is cleared to participate in tomorrow’s NTT IndyCar Series practice session on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course. Newgarden will be re-evaluated after the session to determine if he’s cleared to resume all racing activities for the remainder of the Gallagher Grand Prix event.”

Newgarden, who is chasing an IndyCar championship but whose hopes took a hit following a crash while leading the second Iowa race, collapsed in the motorhome lot afterwards and suffered a cut to his head. He was airlifted to MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center and evaluated before being discharged the next day.

“Thank you to the IndyCar medical team for taking such incredible care of me and to Team Penske for the unwavering support as always,” Newgarden posted on social media. “It would take a small army to keep me down, and I’ve got an even bigger army behind me helping me go forward.”

If he is not permitted to take part in the race, Team Penske has placed Santino Ferrucci on standby. Although Ferrucci is at the track to compete in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race later on Saturday, he would forgo that event if he has to fill in for Newgarden.

Callum Ilott is here to stay. On Thursday, Juncos Hollinger Racing announced Ilott has signed a multi-year contract extension, keeping him in the #77 Chevrolet beyond the 2023 NTT IndyCar Series season.

A member of the Ferrari Driver Academy and 2020 FIA Formula 2 Championship runner-up, Ilott débuted in IndyCar by running the final three races of the 2021 season with JHR. Pleased with his performance and with Ilott unable to find a home in Formula One, JHR elected to turn him into a full-time IndyCar driver.

“Back in 2021, I took my time to choose our NTT IndyCar Series driver from a list of five drivers,” said JHR co-owner Ricardo Juncos. “Even when Callum was not on the radar for most of the teams here in the States, I knew he was the perfect fit for our team. Not only for his potential as a driver, but his personality and his desire to win which aligns with our team philosophy. Today, almost a year later, I’m happy to confirm Callum’s continuation with the team for long term.

“From the last three races during the 2021 season and the great results we have had so far this year, shows we were right in choosing him as our driver. Together with our new members of JHR, we have proven so much in a short time, which is incredible with the calibre of drivers and teams currently in the NTT IndyCar Series. This is just the beginning of a new era at JHR and I’m looking forward to continuing our work with Callum and to the results we know we can receive together as a team.”

Twelve rounds into his rookie season, Ilott sits twenty-first in points with a best finish of eighth on the Indianapolis Road Course, to which the series returns on Saturday. He skipped the Detroit Grand Prix in June due to a hand injury he sustained in a crash at the Indianapolis 500.

Carlos Sainz led the first free practice session of the 2022 Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring in Budapest, Hungary.

Max Verstappen finished in second position, 0.130 seconds slower than the Scuderia Ferrari driver. Charles Leclerc finished in third position at the end of the session.

The first free practice session of the Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring in Budapest started under clear skies with air temperature at 32 degrees C and track temperature at 52 degrees C.

Rain is forecast for Saturday and cooler conditions for race day on Sunday.

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.

Chad Chastain, the younger brother of NASCAR Cup Series race winner Ross Chastain, is looking to develop his own career in the Camping World Truck Series as he prepares for Friday’s TSport 200 at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. It will be his second career Truck start and first of 2022 as he pilots the #41 Chevrolet Silverado RST for Niece Motorsports.

A short track racer from Florida, Chastain made his NASCAR début at Watkins Glen in 2021, where he drove the #45 Niece truck to a thirty-fourth-place finish. Ross, who is seven years older, was supposed to run the event but was barred as Cup drivers are forbidden from competing in the Truck Series’ regular season finale.

“I can’t wait to get back on track with Niece Motorsports and represent the growers from the ILLIANA Watermelon Association,” said Chastain. “All the farmers in this area are pushing as hard as they can to get fresh, sweet, and delicious watermelons in your local grocery store, so go pick one up today!”

At the grassroots racing level, Chastain won the the FASCAR Pro Truck and Pro Late Model track championships at DeSoto Speedway in 2015, followed by the 2016 Pro Late Model title at 4-17 Southern Speedway. He has experience in divisions like the World Series of Asphalt and Southern Pro Am Truck Series.

“Oh hey, that’s my brother,” Ross remarked on social media. “Pumped for Chad Chastain to get this opportunity at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park with Niece Motorsports and Illiana Watermelon Association!”

Lewis Hamilton has called Sebastian Vettel one of the ‘greatest people we’ve seen’ in the FIA Formula 1 World Championship as he paid tribute to the German after the announcement that he would be retiring at the end of the current season.

Vettel has opted to call time on his career so he can put more focus into his family life, and Hamilton, one of his biggest rivals during his time in the sport, admits it is a sad occasion to see him step away from behind the steering wheel.

Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team’s Hamilton says Formula 1 needs more people like Vettel, and he feels he has ‘lost an ally’ on the grid.  And he knew he was going to be a powerful character on the grid early on in his career.

But Hamilton hopes the friendship the two have found despite being fierce rivals on track can continue even after Vettel leaves his Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team seat for the final time after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in November.

“I kind of knew that it was coming, as there’d been hints, but the realisation of it is another thing,” Hamilton is quoted as saying by Motorsport.com.  “And I would just say naturally, my first feeling is it’s sad to see that he’s stopping.

Esteban Ocon returns to the venue of his maiden FIA Formula 1 World Championship victory for the first time this weekend, but the Frenchman knows it is important to focus on this year rather than last.

The BWT Alpine F1 Team racer was the surprise victor at the Hungaroring twelve months ago after taking advantage of the chaotic race start and Lewis Hamilton’s failure to pit for dry weather tyres ahead of the restart.

Ocon hopes to have a strong race this weekend to help Alpine edge further clear of the McLaren F1 Team as the two teams battle for fourth place in the Constructors’ Championship around a track that is amongst his favourites even without taking into account his victory last year.

“I feel good, and it will be emotional to be back in Budapest for sure,” said Ocon.  “I can already feel all the memories of last year coming back. But that was last year, and we need to be fully focused as a team to deliver another solid weekend.

“It will be important to go into the shutdown with a feeling of having really cemented that fourth spot in the Constructors’ Championship. We know it will be difficult, but we have the team and the tools to do just that.

Lando Norris is looking to score a good result in this weekends Hungarian Grand Prix to give the McLaren F1 Team a positive feeling heading into the summer break.

The British racer says the team have a lot of work to do with its upgraded package as they fight the BWT Alpine F1 Team for fourth place in the Constructors’ Championship, and it is important to maximise their results as they did last weekend in France.

Norris finished seventh at the Circuit Paul Ricard as McLaren introduced its new aero package to the car, but now it is all about getting the most out of the car this weekend in Hungary.

“Hungary, let’s go! It’s the last race before the summer break so we’ll give it everything and leave it all on the track,” said Norris.  “It’s a challenging circuit with not tonnes of opportunity for overtaking but there is a nice opportunity to get some points.

“We maximized our result in France, and we’ve been looking at the data as a team to make sure we’re in the best place we can be moving forward with the upgrades.

Sam Bird will be hoping for home glory this weekend, as the London E-Prix hosts rounds thirteen and fourteen of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.

Bird had a strong weekend at New York City last time out, where the British driver finished seventh and fifth respectively across the two races at the circuit. The Brit will be hoping to go even better this weekend, as Jaguar TCS Racing aim to close the gap to the frontrunners in the Constructors’ Championship.

It’s yet to be seen if Bird will help team-mate Mitch Evans across the weekend in London, with the Kiwi being right in the title-fight.

Racing in London for Jaguar is an “unforgettable experience” for Bird, who’s hoping for a “strong performance” this weekend.

“As a British driver, racing in London not far from where I grew up is an unforgettable experience, even more so with Jaguar TCS Racing, an iconic British team. The Jaguar I-TYPE 5 had incredible pace last time out in New York so I’m looking forward to getting back in the car and hopefully delivering another strong performance in front of the home crowd.”

Scuderia Ferrari will be aiming to end the first-half of the season on a high at the Hungarian Grand Prix, after Charles Leclerc retired from the race lead last weekend for the third time this season. Carlos Sainz Jr was the team’s only finisher at Circuit Paul Ricard after finishing fifth; however, it should’ve really been third.

Ferrari chose to pit Sainz late in the race, after the Spaniard had just overtaken Sergio Pérez for the final place on the podium. It would’ve sealed the perfect comeback for Sainz, who started the race in nineteenth due to exceeding the legal number of engine components changed.

With Max Verstappen inheriting victory in France, Ferrari and Leclerc have a mountain to climb to get back in the fight of either title. The Scuderia will be hoping to enter the summer in the best way possible, with victory in Hungary.

Victory at the Hungaroring this weekend would give Ferrari some much needed momentum ahead of the summer break, where they’ll be hoping to avoid another engine failure.

Head of Vehicle Operations at Ferrari, Diego Ioverno explained how the team will be running their cars at “maximum downforce” this weekend, due to the circuit’s slow corners.

Valtteri Bottas is looking to get back into the points this weekend in Hungary after three consecutive races where he has failed to score a top ten finish.

The Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN driver had an underwhelming French Grand Prix last weekend as he finished only fourteenth, whilst he also failed to break into the top ten in either the British or Austrian Grand Prix.

Bottas has twice finished on the podium at the Hungaroring, and although that kind of result is unlikely this weekend, he is confident the problems that have befallen him in recent races have been solved so he can return to the points on Sunday afternoon.

“Having back-to-back races offers us the chance to bounce back right away from the tough weekend we had in France, where nothing seemed to be working in our favour,” said Bottas.  

“I enjoyed racing at the Hungaroring in the past, having also been on the podium here twice before, and I am looking forward to being back in action on track.

Alexander Albon says he is excited to see what Williams Racing can extract from its upgraded package this weekend at the Hungaroring, especially after feeling they had made a good step forward with it last time out in France.

The Thai driver was able to get into Q2 last weekend at the Circuit Paul Ricard and had moments of competitiveness on Sunday, although he was unable to break into the points – his last top ten finish came in the Miami Grand Prix where he finished ninth.

Albon says Qualifying again will be important in Hungary at a track that has a lot of twists and turns, and he is confident Williams can make another step forward with its package.

“I’m looking forward to Hungary as it’s a nice, proper driver’s circuit with lots of twists,” said Albon.  “Because of this, qualifying is quite important compared to other circuits.

“I’m excited to see what we can extract from the new package, as it felt like we had a positive weekend in France so can hopefully build on that for Hungary.

Lawrence Stroll has thanked Sebastian Vettel ‘from the bottom of his heart’ for the hard work he has done since joining the Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team in 2021 after the German announced his retirement from the FIA Formula 1 World Championship.

Vettel will leave Formula 1 after this years’ Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, ending a career that started in 2007 and saw him take four world drivers’ Championships and fifty-three race victories (so far).

Stroll, the Executive Chairman at Aston Martin, had wanted Vettel to remain with Aston Martin beyond this year after seeing first hand the work he has done to help the team move forward, but he knows the decision to retire felt right for the driver, so he fully respected the decision.

“I want to thank Sebastian from the bottom of my heart for the great work that he has done for Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One Team over the past year and a half,” said Stroll.

“We made it clear to him that we wanted him to continue with us next year, but in the end he has done what he feels is right for himself and his family, and of course we respect that.

Sebastian Vettel will retire from the FIA Formula 1 World Championship at the end of the 2022 season, it was announced on Thursday.

The four-time World Champion will bring his storied career in Formula 1 to an end after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in November, opening up a vacancy within the Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team.

Vettel says his primary focus has turned away from racing and more towards his family life, and he will bid the sport that he made his debut in back in 2007 goodbye later this year. 

He says he has met and worked alongside many fantastic people during his career – too many to name and thank in one go – but he hopes to finish his career on a high and help Aston Martin make another step forward before he departs.

“I have had the privilege of working with many fantastic people in Formula 1 over the past fifteen years – there are far too many to mention and thank,” said Vettel in a statement on Thursday.  

In 2009, Marcus Lemonis lent the name of his camping RV and equipment business Camping World to NASCAR’s pickup truck racing division to dub it the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. After fourteen years, however, he is pulling the plug. On Wednesday, Lemonis announced he will end Camping World’s title sponsorship of the series.

Lemonis was one of NASCAR’s closest supporters even before investing into the Truck Series, with Camping World holding the naming rights for what is now the ARCA Menards Series East and West from 2008 to 2010. Camping World then replaced Craftsman as the Truck title sponsor in 2009, and the name remained the Camping World Truck Series before Lemonis shifted it to subsidiary Gander Outdoors in 2019 and 2020 before switching back to the original moniker.

During the 2021 season, Camping World expanded their reach to sponsor Truck teams needing the funding, which reached its peak when ten trucks showed up to Las Vegas sporting the company’s liveries. The company has also sponsored Cup and Xfinity Series teams and races, as well as being the title sponsor of the NHRA Drag Racing Series and the Superstar Racing Experience.

“What an amazing opportunity it’s been,” began Lemonis’ letter. “14 years, over 30 race entitlements, over 35 drivers sponsored and some of the best fans one could wish for. Thank you NASCAR.

“Marketing and sponsorships continue to build and expand our Camping World business.