Motorsports Racing News & Blog Articles

Year six students at the British International School of Jeddah were in for a treat on Thursday, after W Series driver and Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One Team driver ambassador, Jessica Hawkins, spoke to the students about the world of motorsport and the careers it offers to men and women.

As part of her visit to the school, which took place just a day before the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Hawkins discussed with the students all the potential avenues they could go down should they possess a keen interest in a career in motorsport. Whilst at the school the professional racing driver also spoke to the students about what her role at Aston Martin involves.

Hawkins is well-known for her work both on and off track. Her racing career began in 2014 when she took part in the British Formula Ford Championship. Since then, she has worked her way up through the ranks, competing in several championships including the British Touring Car Championship and W Series. Recently she also demonstrated her immense skills as a stunt driver, in the latest instalment of the James Bond franchise and global box office hit No Time to Die.

“I really hope I’ve helped inspire the next generation” – Jessica Hawkins

After her visit, Hawkins spoke about just how much she enjoyed discussing her career with the pupils, she is hopeful that she’s played a part in inspiring the next generation of motorsport enthusiasts.

“I’ve really enjoyed my visit today and sharing my experiences with the students here. I think it’s really important for young people in the Kingdom to realise the many opportunities that exist in the world of motorsport, regardless of your background or gender. It’s been a delight to hear from the students and to answer their questions and I really hope I’ve helped to inspire the next generation of motorsport professionals here in Saudi Arabia.”

The Polish rally star Miko Marczyk will be making his FIA World Rally Championship debut in the WRC2 class next month at the Rally Croatia as he has now officially revealed his six-round program for the season.

He will be entering in a Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo, the same car he took a third place finish in the driver’s championship in the FIA European Rally Championship last season and Marczyk will be co-driven by his long-term experienced co-driver Szymon Gospodarczyk.

Beside the Rally Croatia, the five other rounds that are included in his program are Portugal, Italy, Estonia, Finland and Spain. 

“This is a great moment for me and our entire team, we will take part in six WRC2 rallies. I feel that we are taking on a big challenge which is theoretically within our reach, but still difficult. I felt similar when I made my debut in the Subaru Poland Rally Team and in the ERC.” Marczyk said.

“For me, this mixture of hard-to-achieve but real goals is the definition of the beauty of sports development and my passion for rallying,” 

Nico Hülkenberg has travelled with the Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One Team to the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, as Sebastian Vettel’s participation in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix remains unknown, with the German yet to return a negative Covid-19 test.

After replacing Vettel at the last minute at last weekend’s season opening Bahrain Grand Prix, Hülkenberg is preparing once again to replace Vettel this weekend. Aston Martin made an announcement Thursday morning that Vettel still hadn’t returned a negative test, and that a final decision would be made on Friday.

Should Hülkenberg replace his German compatriot again this weekend, he will be hoping to progress further up the field than he did at the Bahrain International Circuit, after having minimal running time in the AMR22.

As the season opener in Miami grows ever closer, W Series has started to announce its driver pairings for 2022. The single-seater championship announced five new teams who would be joining PUMA, Racing X, Siring Racing and Scuderia W, who will be returning to the grid.

Quantfury W Series is a cryptocurrency-backed team and have confirmed that Nerea Martí and Belén García will race for them in the upcoming season.

Nerea Martí will return to W Series after finishing fourth in the 2021 driver’s standings and securing an automatic 2022 seat. She displayed her racing skills and talent during 2021, taking home her maiden podium in Hungary and achieving her highest race finish of third. Martí was the season’s best rookie, accumulating 61 points in all eight rounds.

“I’m very happy and proud to be driving for the QuantFury W Series Team in 2022. I know that Belén and I will form a really good team, and I’m looking forward to working together and achieving our goals,” said Martí.

“I’m very proud of how well I did in my first season with W Series last year. It was all new for me, but I worked hard, adapted as the season went on and got stronger, ending the season fourth in the championship and as the best rookie”.

The six-time olympic cyclist champion Sir Chris Hoy will be making his rally debut at the Knockhill McRae Rally Challenge on 2/3 July at the Knockhill Race Circuit in Scotland.

Hoy who is the first star driver to be announced for the second year running of the McRae Rally Challenge supported by Beatson’s Building Supplies, which is a two-day single venue rally event.

The event was created to celebrate the former FIA World Rally Champion Colin McRae’s title win back in 1995 as well as the successes of the McRae family in the rally world.

Hoy has previously competed in rallycross in Britain and a wild-card entry in the FIA World Rallycross Championship in 2019 at Barcelona, Spain.

Beside the mixed surface racing, Hoy have also done some sportscar racing and he participated in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2016 and claiming a 2nd place finish at the 24 Hours of Silverstone in 2015 driving for the British Team LNT outfit.

After the highly anticipated return of the 2021 season, W Series is back for season three. Last year saw Alice Powell start strong, achieving her maiden pole position during round-one in Austria.

She took wins at the Red Bull Ring, Silverstone, and Zandvoort but the 28-year-old was pipped to the title by fellow Brit Jamie Chadwick. Chadwick was crowned the champion for the second time in her W Series career after the season finale at the Circuit of the Americas.

The sport announced an exciting partnership deal last year, where it will race at eight FIA Formula 1 World Championship weekends during its upcoming season. 2022 will see the series return to Silverstone, the Hungaroring and the Circuit of the Americas.

The 2021 Silverstone race saw 18-year-old Brit Abbi Pulling make her W series debut and the 2021 Hungaroring witnessed Nerea Martí finishing on the podium for the first time in her W Series career. To add the list of tracks raced alongside Formula 1 Grand Prix weekends, the all-female drivers will take to the stage in Miami, Spain, France, Japan and Mexico for the first time.

2022 Confirmed Drivers

As well as five new circuits, W Series sees five new drivers: Tereza Babickov, Bianca Bustamante, Chloe Chambers, Emely De Heus and Juju Noda. The championship has recently announced its all-female 2022 driver line-up.

The 2021 Ginetta GT Academy champion, Toby Trice, will join the grid for the 2022 Porsche Visit Cayman Islands Sprint Challenge GB championship as he looks to continue his journey up the sports car ladder.

Trice took eight victories from twelve races over the course of the 2021 Ginetta season, leading him to the GTA class title with SVG Motorsports. In addition to the wins he collected a further two podium finishes, five pole positions and eight fastest laps.

“I’m so excited that we are joining the Porsche Visit Cayman Islands Sprint Challenge,” said Trice as he talked about his move away from Ginetta’s. “It’s been a bit of a dream of mine to be associated with Porsche because of the prestige of the brand, and how the TTR brand aligns itself with Porshce’s own values.

“To be driving a Porsche seems like a huge pinch yourself moment. When I started out in rental karts at Buckmore Park, that was obviously a lot of fun, but I never ever imagined that I’d be strapping myself into a Cayman GT4 Clubsport. It’s so exciting!”

“I’m hugely proud of this moment and proud of all of the people that have helped me get to this point, and a huge thank you to everyone.

Toro Verde GT have secured the services of experienced sports car racer Jake Giddings, who will line up for the team in the Pro class for their debut year of the 2022 Porsche Carrera Cup GB, joining the previously announced Peter Kyle-Henney and Angus Whiteside.

Giddings won the 2014 GT class title in the British GT Championship on his first attempt, taking four wins and three more podiums across the year. Over the course of his career he has competed in various machinery and series, including a Pro-Am Mercedes-AMG GT4 which he drove to third place at Donington Park last season.

In terms of Porsche experience, the Wisbech-based driver has driven previous generations of Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars with an appearance in Dubai in 2015 and a one-off race weekend in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB series in the Pro-Am class in 2018.

“I think the competitiveness of the Carrera Cup really appealed to me. I’ve always wanted to do the series,” explained Giddings. “I struggled with getting budget for a couple of years but managed to commit to it this year, with thanks to Finesse Paving and Civil Engineering, Barhill Motors, and Outwell Timber for their continued support in making this happen.“

Talking about his thoughts on the new 992-style Cup car, Giddings was surprised with how the brakes behaved when he tested the car, “I did one weekend in the Carrera Cup in 2018, as a one-off round and got on okay, but the 992-style car is a lot more on edge all the time. It is a lot better than a GT4 and feels like a proper race car, though the brakes have been a big thing for me to get used to.

In a hugely positive and inspirational move towards getting more females into motorsport, W Series driver Abbi Pulling and Aseel Al Hamad, Saudi Automobile & Motorcycle Federation Board Member, got behind the wheel of BWT Alpine F1 Team’s V8-powered E20 car during a demonstration by the team around some of the most iconic landmarks in Saudi Arabia. In doing so, Pulling and Al Hamad became the first-women-ever to drive a Formula 1 car in Saudi Arabia, an incredibly symbolic moment for the entire motorsport landscape.

The duo drove around some of the most iconic locations in Saudi Arabia, from Diriyah, the original home of the Al Saud Royal family, to the bright lights in the vibrant new King Abdullah Financial District. The event was put on to showcase Alpine’s commitment to diversity & inclusion within motorsport, it was also supported by the Saudi Tourism Authority.

Abbi Pulling who as well as driving in the W Series this year, is also an Alpine Academy Affiliate Driver, the feeder series to the Alpine Academy. This incredible opportunity amazingly came just a day before her nineteenth birthday. Pulling absolutely loved her first experience of driving an F1 car.

“I got my first experience of an F1 car last weekend and it was everything I was expecting, and more. I started racing when I was just eight years old, always with the goal of reaching Formula 1, and I am so pleased to have got that little bit closer. It is very important for the industry to encourage and support young, female talents to achieve their ambitions.

“Programmes like the Alpine Academy coupled with demonstration runs with female racers show you have the opportunity and structure to do this. It was a pleasure to meet Aseel and to hear about all her initiatives to support young racers. It’s super encouraging for myself and the next generation.”

Elias Adestam has recently been announced as the 2022 GB4 driver with Fortec Motorsports. On top of his fantastic work with his racing, the 15-year-old has also taken the time to create his own charity.

The charity was created in spring 2021 and is called ‘Raising Against Cancer’. The charity aims to raise money for cancer research projects. The Checkered Flag caught up with Elias Adestam about his charity. 

Why did you start the charity? 

“Everyone knows someone that has been affected by cancer. My grandmother got multiple cancer types at the same time. Thanks to good care she is doing fine now. I want more people to be able to say, “I defeated cancer”. Just like my grandmother has done 2 times now.”

What is the purpose of the charity? 

“The aim is to help as many people as possible who is fighting against cancer. As of now we have a close relationship and partnership with the children’s cancer centre at the Karolinska Health Institute. We want to help the children there as much as humanly possible.”

Who is involved with the charity? 

“Right now, me and my dad is administering the charity. But we have a partnership with Karolinska Health Institute.”

17-year-old Bianca Bustamante impressed W Series Race Director Dave Ryan and his team during pre-season tests at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Spain in March. Bustamante will join 16 other confirmed drivers, competing at eight FIA Formula 1 World Championship support races during W Series’ third season. Not only is she one of the youngest drivers on the grid, but she is also the first Filipina racer to drive in the all-female championship.

Bustamante comes into W Series straight from Karting and will make her debut at Miami International Autodrome between 6-8 May 2022, racing in a Tatuus F3 T-318 car. In 2021, she was selected for the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) Girls on Track Rising Stars program in France at the Circuit Paul Ricard. Her ability to adapt to the complexity of the Formula 3 and Formula 4 cars was highlighted during the pre-season tests in Arizona and Barcelona. She showcased her talents when performing under pressure and demonstrating her racing potential on the track.

Competing in W Series’ third season takes Bustamante even closer to her dream of becoming a Formula 1 driver. The championship which was launched in October 2018, helps to bring females into an inclusive sporting series in the hopes of breaking the bias in the world of motorsport. Inspiring and empowering young girls is supported as the championship is based on racing ability and not finances.

Bustamante’s views reflect those of W Series: believing in equal opportunities for those with dreams of becoming race drivers.

“I am beyond thrilled to be part of W Series this season. It is a dream come true and I am still pinching myself every day to check this actually happened,” said Bustamante. “All my life I have had my sights set on Formula 1, and now my racing career has taken a big step in the right direction thanks to W Series.

After problems with the hybrid units during the FIA World Rally Championship at Rally Sweden, the FIA ​​has announced they will be changing the rules ahead of the Rally Croatia.

The rule is coming in place because of the incident where Ott Tänak was forced to retire in Sweden due to a failure with the hybrid unit despite having a functioning car, this change hopes to stop this from happening again.

Tänak was second overall after stage 5, but before the stage 6 the Estonian had to retire since the indicator lights on his Hyundai i20 N Rally1 flashed red. The car worked but the hybrid system indicated a fault, something that automatically forces a driver to retire.

The cause of the error was not caused by external abuse, the hybrid units are manufactured by Compact Dynamics and are also not allowed to be touched by the teams.

As Tänak retired and had to miss the two remaining stages it cost him 20 minutes in penalties and without a chance to score any points.

Nico Hülkenberg remains on high alert to step into the Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team seat again this weekend in Saudi Arabia as the availability of Sebastian Vettel remains uncertain.

Hülkenberg jumped into the AMR22 at short notice for last weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix after four-time World Champion Vettel tested positive for COVID-19, and there is no word yet to whether he will return to the seat this weekend.

Hülkenberg qualified ahead of team-mate Lance Stroll in Bahrain despite only driving the car for the first time in free practice, although he was seventeenth and the last of those who saw the chequered flag on Sunday as Aston Martin struggled for performance.

“We don’t know yet [if Vettel will race],” said Hülkenberg on Formula1.com.  “I think it’s a matter of waiting a couple of days, seeing how Seb is.

“If he’s fit to race or not, I’ll be in the area anyway, to be ready and on standby.”

Toto Wolff says the performance the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team showed during the Bahrain Grand Prix proved that they were only the third quickest team, with both Scuderia Ferrari and Oracle Red Bull Racing edging ahead.

Lewis Hamilton and George Russell may have finished third and fourth at the Bahrain International Circuit, but this was down to both Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez retiring ahead of them in the final three laps.

Wolff, the Team Principal at Mercedes, says the W13 has potential to be strong but at this stage of the season, the team has yet to unlock that potential.

“The new F1 season started in dramatic fashion,” said Wolff.  “There were some great, feel-good stories up and down the field at the first race and Ferrari did a strong job to claim a 1-2 finish.

“For us, we made a step forward in terms of performance compared to the pre-season tests but were clearly third quickest behind Ferrari and Red Bull. We know the W13 has potential, and we need to continue learning, find out how to unlock it, and maximise our opportunities for points in the meantime.

The FIA Formula 2 series heads to Saudi Arabia for the second round of the 2022 season, where the grid will push the boundaries of the twenty-seven corners which complete the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.

The circuit is the second longest on the 2022 Formula 2 calendar, coming in just behind Spa-Francorchamps. It also boasts the nickname of being the ‘fastest street circuit’ in single-seater racing.

The Story So Far

ART Grand Prix’s Théo Pourchaire goes into the second round as the championship leader following his Feature Race win at the Bahrain International Circuit last week, despite completing the final twelve laps of the race with a cracked helmet visor!

He fended off Carlin’s Liam Lawson and Hitech Grand Prix’s Jüri Vips who was in control up until an unfortunately slow pit-stop.

The FIA Formula 3 graduate, Jack Doohan, took pole position on Friday’s qualifying session, pipping Pourchaire to the better spot of the front-row by just a tenth in the first round of his first full season in F2.