Motorsports Racing News & Blog Articles

Russian and Belarusian drivers will not be banned from participating in events sanctioned by the FIA in response to their countries’ invasion of Ukraine, though they will not be sporting the national flags or colours either. After a meeting on Tuesday, the FIA announced drivers from Russia and Belarus will be ordered to race using “FIA flags” as their nationalities, and they will be forbidden from having their nations’ respective imagery on their equipment or on the podium during international races.

It has been over five days since Russia began a “special military operation” into Ukraine with support from Belarus, which sparked widespread condemnation. While Ukrainians have taken up arms to defend their country and many countries have imposed sanctions on the aggressor, various sporting bodies moved events from Russia or began looking into restricting Russian and Belarusian athletes. Ukraine’s racing sanctioning body, the Federation Automobile D’Ukraine (FAU), wrote a letter to FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem urging for the organisation to ban Russo-Belarusian symbols, remove races held in those countries, and go as far as to bar drivers with licences from there. The World Motor Sport Council convened on Tuesday to deliberate before coming out with its full verdict.

Under the FIA’s ruling, national teams representing Russia and Belarus are indefinitely allowed to take part in international events like the FIA Motorsport Games. Pending approval of the World Council for Automobile Mobility and Tourism, Russian and Belarusian FIA members are also ordered to temporarily step down from their posts and will not receive grants from the FIA.

Regarding the fate of the Russian Grand Prix in Sochi, the FIA said, “Upon proposal of the F1 Commercial Rights Holder, cancellation of the 2022 Russian F1 Grand Prix for reason of Force Majeure.”

“As you know, the FIA is watching the developments in Ukraine with sadness and shock and I hope for a swift and peaceful resolution to the present situation,” Sulayem stated. “We condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine and our thoughts are with all those suffering as a result of the events in Ukraine. I would like to stress that the FIA, together with our promoters, proactively acted on this matter last week and communicated accordingly on the Formula 1, Formula 2, WTCR and the International Drifting Cup. An updated version of the different FIA International Calendars will be presented to the WMSC meeting in Bahrain for approval.

Hitech Grand Prix have announced Nazim Azman to complete their line-up for the 2022 FIA Formula 3 Championship, the Malaysian reuniting with 2020 British Formula 3 Championship (now GB3) team-mate Kaylen Frederick and Red Bull junior driver Isack Hadjar.

Azman finished fourth in the 2021 Euroformula Open Championship with Cryptotower Racing Team, taking a win and seven podiums.

He experienced FIA F3 machinery with Jenzer Motorsport and Charouz Racing System at the post-season test at Circuit Ricardo Tormo, Valencia in November.

The 20-year-old made his single-seater debut in the 2016-17 Formula 4 South-East Asia series, since competing in Spanish F4, SMP F4, Formula Masters Asian Series and Italian F4.

Prior to stepping up to Euroformula, he contested two seasons in British F3 with Chris Dittmann Racing and Carlin, finishing fifth in 2020 while new (returning) team-mate Kaylen Frederick took the title.

With the brand-new Miami Grand Prix just around the corner, it has been announced that Red Bull have agreed to become the latest founding member of the Miami Grand Prix, in a multi-year deal with South Florida Motorsports.

Through their teams Oracle Red Bull Racing and Scuderia AlphaTauri, Red Bull are aiming to create unique experiences for fans at the Grand Prix, as well as offering hospitality opportunities around the Miami International Autodrome campus which will host the race.

Jeremy Walls, Senior Vice President, Chief Revenue Officer of Hard Rock Stadium and the Miami Grand Prix, is proud that Red Bull have committed to partnering the inaugural event and for years to come.

“Red Bull’s commitment to Formula 1 is absolute, in the form of its championship-winning Oracle Red Bull Racing team and sister Scuderia AlphaTauri team. It has also created a staircase of young talent to the top of the sport for drivers including champions like Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel. We’re proud Red Bull has decided to commit to partnering with our event as a key element of its US and global brand activity.”

The Miami Grand Prix takes place on the 6-8 May 2022.

Carlin have completed their 2022 FIA Formula 3 Championship line-up with 2021 F4 UAE champion Enzo Trulli joining the team.

His first taste of single-seaters in the Middle East brought four wins, 13 podiums and a seventh-place finish in the standings, as he stepped up to Euroformula Open for the full 2021 season.

His Euroformula campaign was shared between Drivex School and Carlin.

His spell with Drivex yielded one podium and nine top-eight finishes, switching to the Farnham outfit for the second half of the year to take three podiums in the final four races.

Trulli, son of 2004 Monaco Grand Prix winner Jarno Trulli, tested with Jenzer Motorsport at Circuit Ricardo Tormo, Valencia in November 2021 in his first experience of Formula 3 machinery.

Coming off his second NASCAR Whelen Euro Series championship, Loris Hezemans‘ adventures in the United States have taken him to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. On Tuesday, Reaume Brothers Racing announced he will drive the #33 in the 4 March race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. It will be his first time racing in the series.

Hezemans has been keen on making the jump from European stock car racing to the discipline’s roots in America. In addition to racing for the NWES in 2021, he entered five Xfinity Series races for MBM Motorsports and RBR, failing to qualify at Indianapolis but making the other four with a best finish of twenty-seventh at Pocono. Although the Euro Series has used a road course-only schedule since 2020, all of Hezemans’ 2021 Xfinity attempts save for Indianapolis and the Charlotte Roval were on ovals. He first raced in the Xfinity Series in 2019 as a road course specialist for B.J. McLeod Motorsports, finishing twenty-second at Road America.

Despite missing the Zolder round as he was focusing on the Roval weekend, Hezemans won four races en route to the 2021 NWES title. It was his second series championship after winning in 2019.

For 2022, his primary focus will be in the NASCAR Cup Series, where he is scheduled to drive the six road course races for Team Hezeberg with the possibility of short tracks. The team, which débuted at the Daytona 500 with fellow NWES driver Jacques Villeneuve, is co-owned by Hezemans’ father Toine Hezemans and Ernst Berg and has an alliance with RBR. Hezemans will be the first Dutch driver to compete in NASCAR’s highest level.

With Hezemans emphasising American racing, he will not defend his NWES crown. EuroNASCAR 2 champion Martin Doubek, who filled in for Hezemans at Zolder, is scheduled to take over his #7 Hendriks Motorsport-MOMO car for 2022.

Team Redline Racing will line up with Micah Stanley in the 2022 Porsche Carrera Cup GB series, running for a second season in the Pro-Am category after finishing his 2021 season in the runner-up spot.

Stanley joins Pro Am title contender Nathan Harrison and the current Porsche GB Junior driver Adam Smalley in the Pro class as Redline make a bid for the championship in two categories.

The 21-year-old made his debut in the series last season, taking a Pro-Am class victory in his first race of the season, he added a further three victories and a total of nine podium finishes through the year.

“We thoroughly enjoyed working with Micah [Stanley] last year, so couldn’t be happier to have him back with the team. He showed brilliant speed through his debut season and produced some eye-catching performances. He’s done a good job so far testing the new car, so we’re confident that he’ll be a competitive force once again this year,” said Simon Leonard, Team Redling Racing, Managing Director.

Prior to racing in the Carrera Cup, Stanley raced in the European GT4 Series and the British GT Championship before being forced to sit out the 2020 season due to COVID-19 travel restrictions.

The 12 Hours of Sebring marks JR III Racing’s first endurance event of the 2022 season. The team has chosen to field Ari Balogh and Garett Grist alongside IMSA Champion Dakota Dickerson in their No. 30 Airbnb Ligier JS P320. The 25-year-old Dickerson was crowned champion of the IMSA Prototype Challenge last season with a victory at Watkins Glen and five consecutive podium finishes. He is also an F3 Americas and F4 United States Championship winner.

Dickerson is no stranger to the LMP3 world, having started 17 races with the JS P320. He has high hopes for the team at Sebring saying, “Being familiar with the Ligier as well as competing against the team, it was an easy yes because I know the quality of the car and the pace are top-notch. Our test together went very well and working with Ari (Balogh), Garett (Grist), and the crew came naturally. My goal is to perform and hopefully help bring the No. 30 Airbnb Ligier to victory circle.”

Credit: JR III Racing/Sunday Group Management

The 12 Hours of Sebring is only the team’s second endurance event and third ever IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship event. Although that is not to say that anyone should consider their lack of experience as a handicap. The team placed second in their first endurance race at the 2021 finale, Petit Le Mans. At the time it was Balogh, Grist, and Spencer Pigot behind the wheel for ten hours of racing.

With the 2022 Asian Le Mans Series wrapped up earlier this month, the invite list for the 2022 24 Hours of Le Mans is now complete.

Nielsen Racing secured top spot in the LMP2 category meaning they get an invite to the endurance classic in June, joining the will be LMP3 winners CD Sport and Inception Racing who took the honours for the GT category.

The latest additions join eleven previous invites, based on last year’s results in the European Le Mans Series, Michelin Le Mans Cup, IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and the 24 Hours of Le Mans:

Team WRT: LMP2 winner at the 2021 24 Hours of Le Mans (invited to compete in LMP2)AF Corse: LMGTE Am winner at the 2021 24 Hours of Le Mans (invited to defend their LMGTE Am title)Team WRT: 2021 ELMS LMP2 champion (invited to compete in LMP2)United Autosports: 2021 ELMS LMP2 runner-up (invited to compete in LMP2)DKR Engineering: 2021 ELMS LMP3 champion (invited to compete in LMP2)Iron Lynx: 2021 ELMS LMGTE champion (invited to compete in LMGTE Am)Spirit Of Race: 2021 ELMS LMGTE runner-up (invited to compete in LMGTE Am)Iron Lynx: 2021 Michelin Le Mans Cup winner (invited to compete in LMGTE Am)

IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship representatives that have been invited include:

Ben Keating (Jim Trueman Award)Rob Ferriol (Bob Akin Award)Riley Motorsport

The full entry list for the 2022 24 hours of Le Mans was due to be revealed today, but the Automobile Club de L’Ouest revealed that there has been a delay on the announcement due to ‘administrative reasons’.

Due to local restrictions in Hungary, the European Le Mans Series has been forced to change the venue of round 3, due to be held at the Hungaroring on 3 July. Taking over the spot on the calendar is the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, with the race taking place on the same date.

ELMS returned to the legendary circuit in 2017 and has held a round of the championship every year since. With Monza joining the line up, it now means that the series will visit Italy twice this year with the 4 Hours of Imola due to take place on 15 May.

Frederic Lequien, CEO of Le Mans Endurance Management, explained the changes to the original schedule, “It is with regret that the ELMS will not be able to visit Hungary in July but due to local regulations and restrictions the management at the Hungaroring were unable to fulfil the conditions of the contract.

“With its history and long flowing circuit, Monza has been a firm favourite with most members of ELMS paddock, and it has provided some great racing since the series returned in 2017. I would like to thank the team at Monza for their assistance and enabling the ELMS to hold round 3 of the 2022 season this summer.”

Alessandra Zinno, Managing Director of Autodromo Nazionale Monza added, “We are very pleased that the European Le Mans Series decided to come back to Monza also this year to consolidate an event that is becoming a tradition in our calendar.

Scott McLaughlin was delighted after taking his maiden NTT IndyCar Series victory around the Streets of St. Petersburg on Sunday, with the New Zealander turning his maiden pole position into the win despite late-race pressure from reigning champion Alex Palou.

The Team Penske driver took a surprise pole position on Saturday, with the session looking like it was a straight fight between Will Power and Colton Herta for top spot.  However, his drive on Sunday showed just how much the sophomore driver has grown into IndyCar in the past twelve months or so as he drove a mistake-free race from start to finish.

McLaughlin led for forty-nine of the one hundred laps around the Florida track and held off the challenge of Palou in the closing laps to take the chequered flag first, and he thanked Roger Penske and his team, as well as engine suppliers Chevrolet, for giving him the chance, not only to win at St. Petersburg but to race in IndyCar in the first place.

“This is unbelievable,” said McLaughlin.  “Thank you to Roger Penske and everyone who put their faith in me… DEX Energy for jumping on board and trusting me, and Roger Penske and Tim Cindric giving me the opportunity to come here.

“I miss my mom and dad dearly and my family. It was crazy. I really struggled those last couple laps to keep my head to save fuel and all that stuff. We did it. Chevy gave us the fuel mileage. The drivability this weekend has been a big change.

After finishing fifth in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season opener at Daytona International Speedway, Parker Kligerman and his #75 Henderson Motorsports team will run twelve more races in 2022. On Monday, he revealed his full Truck schedule which includes all three road course rounds and four playoff races, though he will obviously be ineligible for the championship as he is doing thirteen of twenty-two dates.

Being a part-owner of Lime Rock Park and IMSA reporter for NBC when not racing, it makes sense for Kligerman to run the trio of road races at Circuit of the Americas on 26 March, Sonoma Raceway on 11 June, and Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on 9 July. In eleven starts in 2021, his best finish of fifth came at Watkins Glen International, while his highest Xfinity Series run was third at Road America in 2013. Sonoma and Mid-Ohio are new to the Truck schedule, though Kligerman has two Cup Series starts at the former and one in Xfinity at the latter. He finished thirteenth in the inaugural Truck race at COTA.

Between COTA and Sonoma, he will race at Martinsville Speedway (7 April) and Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt (16 April). He scored top tens in both events last year. May will have Darlington Raceway on the 6th and Charlotte Motor Speedway on the 27th, and he scored a fifth at the former in 2021.

After Sonoma is Nashville Superspeedway on 24 June. Kligerman was present at the track’s final Truck race in 2011, finishing fifth before it fell silent for a decade and returning in 2021, where he was seventeenth.

The four playoff races begin with Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park on 29 July. Like Nashville, Kligerman raced there in its last Truck event in 2011, where he ended in thirteenth. Bristol’s concrete surface on 15 September is Kligerman’s next stop, where he finished second in 2012 and twenty-first last season. Talladega Superspeedway on 1 October was the site of Kligerman’s two Truck victories in 2012 and 2017. He has not raced at Homestead-Miami Speedway, his final stop on 22 October, since 2019 where he was tenth.

Santiago Ramos has been announced as KIC Motorsport’s second confirmed driver for the 2022 Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine season.

Just days after signing Francesco Braschi, the Finnish team has signed eighteen-year-old Ramos for their second car, with a third driver yet be announced for the final seat.

Ramos has been racing in Spanish and Italian Formula 4 since stepping into single seaters for the first time, but 2022 will mark his first-time racing at Formula 3 level, a step he feels he is more than ready for.

“I’m very excited in competing with KIC Motorsport for the upcoming season,” said Ramos.  “In December 2021 we had excellent winter tests with the team and since then it was clear for me that KIC Motorsport was the best choice to develop my career.

“In tests I felt excellent chemistry with all the mechanics, engineers and team principal Petri Lappalainen and therefore I strongly feel that we will push ourselves forward in order to make a great season together.”

Jan Monchaux, the Technical Director of the Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN, says the unveiling of the C42-Ferrari on Sunday is a milestone on the long road of design and development since the team switched their attention to the 2022 season early on during the 2021 season.

The C42 ran in a camouflage livery during the first pre-season test at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya prior to the official unveiling of the 2022 livery design on Sunday, with race drivers Valtteri Bottas and Guanyu Zhou in attendance alongside test driver Robert Kubica.

Monchaux acknowledges that the development curve will be very steep thanks to the new regulations, with teams up and down the pit lane looking for every little bit of advantage to eek out as much performance as they can from their new cars.

And he says this will be no different at Alfa Romeo as they look to put their disappointing performances from 2021 – as well as a below par test in Spain – behind them and become genuine points contenders this season.

“As we unveil the C42, it may feel like the start of a new season: we know, however, that this launch is just a milestone in a much longer journey in which our whole staff in Hinwil has invested so much time, resource and energies,” said Monchaux.

As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues, Ukraine’s motorsport authority is demanding the FIA to take action. On Sunday, the Federation Automobile D’Ukraine (FAU) submitted a letter to FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem with a list of demands that included prohibiting drivers with licences provided by the motorsport associations of Russia and ally Belarus from competing in FIA-sanctioned events, and a ban on the two countries’ flags from appearing at such races.

The invasion has been widely condemned, with many countries responding by placing sanctions on Russia and Belarus or sending resources to Ukraine. In the world of sports, FIFA and UEFA announced Monday that Russia has been banned from competing in all international association football competitions including the upcoming FIFA World Cup. On Friday, Formula One released a statement saying it is “impossible to hold the Russian Grand Prix in the current circumstances”; the Sochi race was already facing a boycott from driver Sebastian Vettel while Haas F1 Team removed its Uralkali sponsorship during preseason testing. The TCR International Series also cancelled its 6/7 August race weekend in Sochi.

ON Monday, the FIA released a statement saying an “extraordinary meeting of the World Motor Sport Council will be convened tomorrow to discuss matters relating to the ongoing crisis in Ukraine. Further updates will be given following the meeting.”

Communications between the FAU and FIA began with a letter from Sulayem on 24 February, the same day that Russia launched its “special military operation” into Ukraine. Writing to FAU president Leonid Kostyuchenko, Sulayem gave his well wishes to the federation’s members and assured the FAU of the his and FIA’s “full support”. The Lithuanian Automobile Sport Federation, whose country has joined an international wave of sanctions against Russia in the wake of the invasion, also issued a message of solidarity through administrator Indrė Janauskaitė that included providing assistance in Lithuania for Ukrainian refugees.

Kostyuchenko expressed “sincere gratitude” for Sulayem’s words before outlining a series of requests for the FIA to fulfill, many of which were in line with similar penalties proposed towards or imposed by sporting bodies such as FIFA and the International Olympic Committee. For example, the FAU wished for the FIA to not hold events in Russia, Belarus, or occupied territories in Ukraine, with an association football equivalent being satisfied by UEFA when it moved the Champions League final from St. Petersburg to Paris on Friday.

Robert Kubica says the stakes are higher for all teams and drivers heading into the new Formula 1 season thanks to the aerodynamic regulation changes that have come into effect for the 2022 campaign.

Kubica, the reserve driver for the Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN outfit, says everyone will be jumping into the unknown thanks to the rule changes, and it will be important that the team are working as hard as they can to ensure they can start the year strongly.

The Polish racer says his role will see him help the development of the C42, which was officially unveiled to the world on Sunday, particularly with how crucial margins of improvements are likely to be in 2022 as teams up and down the paddock begin to understand how to make the regulations work in their favour.

As part of his reserve driver role, Kubica participated in the first day of pre-season testing at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya earlier this month, running the morning session before handing over to race driver Valtteri Bottas, although technical issues restricted him to just nine laps.

“The start of a new season is always a time where expectations, hopes and plans come together: this year, the stakes are even higher as we are taking a bit of a jump into the unknown with the new regulations,” said Kubica.