Indholdsfortegnelse for 08/06/23 i Autosport

So, on the one hand, we got exactly the winner we expected at the Spanish Grand Prix. Max Verstappen never looked under threat, not even from Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez. But on the other hand, the track changes at the end of the lap made for more action and the revised Mercedes W14 suddenly came alive last Sunday. As Alex Kalinauckas explains both on page 11 and in our report (p14), there were several reasons why Mercedes jumped Aston Martin and Ferrari at Barcelona. Some of them were situation-specific, but there is also now a real hope that the multiple championship-winning team is finally on the right path. The question now is how long it will take to get to the level of Red Bull, which has been on…

FORMULA 1 McLaren has pulled off a major coup by snapping up Red Bull chief engineering officer Rob Marshall to complete the overhaul of its Formula 1 technical division. The ex-Renault designer, who is credited with evolving the squad’s innovative mass damper system that helped it to the 2005 and 2006 titles, has stepped back from his current role with immediate effect as his 17-year stint in Milton Keynes comes to an end. He will punch in at Woking in January as the new technical director for engineering and design. It appears as though Marshall, the Red Bull chief designer from 2010-13, only recently became available to McLaren since the team had already elevated the long-serving Neil Houldey, who has now agreed to relinquish the top position and serve…

BTCC The Thruxton circuit was effectively widened at the ultra-fast Church Corner last weekend in the latest track-limits saga to hit the British Touring Car Championship amid the new regulations introduced for 2023. While last weekend was the first for mandatory use of Motorsport UK’s stricter new rules, which came into effect on 1 June, BTCC organiser TOCA had implemented them from the start of their campaign in late April on the recommendation of the series’ drivers, who did not want a change of regulations mid-season. But drivers were worried in their briefing last Saturday morning when they were told that the green paint beyond the first narrow strip of red, white and blue on the exit of Church was now forbidden territory. The red, white and blue paint was…

Monaco versus Indianapolis So the two great races in one day – and what a difference. Monaco may have had royalty but the race was boring and even when it rained the excitement was low and the race predictable. Indianapolis on the other hand was like a top-grade action movie. It had it all with amazing onboard shots, action-packed pitstops, horrific but safe accidents and then that incredible last-lap charge. Oh and the winner jumping in with the fans. It knocks F1 out the window and the whole F1 world could do with learning a little more about making a real dramatic show. No doubt in F1 the winner’s joyous trip into the crowds would have given him a huge penalty! New focus required. Grahame ButterworthEpworth, North Lincs Oldest surviving…

Alfa Romeo driver Zhou Guanyu reckoned that the Spanish Grand Prix was perhaps his best F1 race to date, after his swashbuckling endeavours yielded ninth place. The Chinese was battling with Yuki Tsunoda’s AlphaTauri for the position when their skirmish boiled over on lap 56 at Turn 1. Zhou took evasive action at the run-off as Tsunoda warded off a pass around the outside, but the Japanese was adjudged to have forced him off the road, taking a five-second penalty. This promoted Zhou from 10th, bringing Alfa Romeo level with Haas in the constructors’ standings on eight points. Tsunoda disagreed with the penalty decision, labelling it “ridiculous”, and felt that Zhou “pretended” to be pushed onto the run-off. “Obviously I gave him pressure but there’s still space, so I don’t…

One look at the championship standings heading to Jakarta would have suggested that Pascal Wehrlein was very much in the hunt for the 2023 Formula E title. After all, he was the closest rival to Envision’s Nick Cassidy and well clear of Jake Dennis in the similar Porsche-powered Andretti car. But the reality was that the German was losing his grip on the 2023 championship fight, with Porsche usurped by Jaguar as the benchmark powertrain during the crucial middle part of the season. Wehrlein’s pair of wins in Diriyah in January had started to seem like a distant memory and, with Jaguar-powered cars winning the last four races across Sao Paulo, Berlin and Monaco, the odds were stacked against the Porsche ace on FE’s second visit to Indonesia. But on…

Good old track limits… During qualifying at Thruxton, no fewer than 33 lap times from 17 drivers were deleted due to track limits. Two of those worst affected were Dan Rowbottom and Adam Morgan, who respectively were shoved down from eighth to 14th on the grid, and from 13th to 15th. And then, just over 24 hours later, they finished 1-2 in the finale. Overnight, the track-limits crunch point at Church Corner was sorted via a few tins of paint (see Pit & Paddock). As is the way of the BTCC, further setbacks on Sunday had ironically contributed to ‘Rowbo’ and Morgan hitting the reversed-grid jackpot. Rowbottom’s Motorbase Performance Ford Focus suffered a delaminated right-front tyre after the bearded Midlander had worked up to eighth place in the opener, and…

FORMULA 3 BARCELONA (ESP) 3-4 JUNE ROUND 4/9 It was a Spanish super-Sunday for Formula 3 at Barcelona, with Pepe Marti taking a dominant feature race win at his and Campos Racing’s home track. After securing his third victory of the season, and his first in a feature race, the 17-year-old was greeted by jubilant mentor and local hero Fernando Alonso, whose A14 Management stable looks after Marti. Marti led from the off and, although second-place starter Taylor Barnard made a challenge at Turn 1, the British Jenzer Motorsport racer ran wide and was forced to drive around the bollard upon rejoining. Further back, Williams junior Luke Browning and Leonardo Fornaroli made contact at Turn 4, and Browning became stranded on the track with broken suspension, causing the intervention of…

NASCAR CUP GATEWAY (USA) 4 JUNE ROUND 15/36 Kyle Busch earned every bit of his NASCAR Cup victory at Gateway. Sunday’s 300-mile race was just five laps old when it was delayed nearly two hours for lightning. Once that cleared, Busch, who had started his Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet from pole, dominated much of the race. He powered into the lead for the final time on lap 184 of 243 but then had to fend off repeated challenges during five restarts over the final 40 laps, including one in overtime. He finally cleared Denny Hamlin’s Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota by 0.517 seconds at the chequered flag to secure his third win of the 2023 season. “That was pretty awesome,” said Busch, who was met by his son Brexton on the…

The sprint on the inner ring road of Coventry MotoFest took place last weekend after a hiatus of four years, the course comprising two sides of the dual carriageway with seven chicanes installed. On top throughout the event was Olly Clark in the enormously powerful Subaru Impreza ‘Gobstopper 1’, taking the fastest time on both Saturday and Sunday (above). Chasing him hard were Damien Bradley (Subaru Legacy) and Stephen Mallett (Radical), who finished second and third on Saturday before swapping positions on Sunday.…

KNOCKHILL Stewart Black was the driver to beat in the Scottish Legends Championship at Knockhill last weekend, taking a hat-trick of wins. The first of those came in Saturday’s final after getting the better of Ryan McLeish over the 10-lap contest. Black finished 1.3 seconds clear, with Chris Dewey in third. McLeish had earlier taken the first Legends win of the day in the opening heat, just 0.1s ahead of Black, who would also finish as runner-up in the second heat, this time behind Dewey. Black opened his Sunday account with another win, again from McLeish, before McLeish got the better of Black and Daniel Clark in the second heat. Black completed his hat-trick in the final race, finishing over a second clear of Clark. Dan Martin took a brace…

TWO CLASS WINS ON DEBUT Scotsman Tim Jacobsen, who has previously raced an MGB and a Sports 2000 with his father Laurence, made his single-seater debut at Silverstone at the end of last month in the ex-Alan Jones/Harry Stiller Racing March 74B, winning twice in the Formula Atlantic class in Historic Formula 2. The Jacobsens acquired the famous car, which was also owned and raced by Eddie Jordan, from Richard Ellingworth and have spent some time preparing it ready for racing in Historic F2. EMMO/MASS CARS IN DUBAI More cars have been confirmed for the Gulf Historic Dubai GP Revival later this year, with the Fittipaldi F8, as driven by two-time Formula 1 champion Emerson Fittipaldi, and March 821 raced by Jochen Mass due to be at the event. A…

PORSCHE CARRERA CUP GB Denied by a penalty last time out at Brands Hatch, Robert de Haan’s searing Thruxton pace might have secured him a first Porsche Carrera Cup GB double, only for mechanical trouble to intervene. De Haan qualified fastest by over half a second, with the same margin covering the next eight cars as track-limits offences or improvements under yellow flags cost several. The Richardson Racing driver then scampered away to win the opener by nearly 10 seconds. Team Parker’s Adam Smalley was second, withstanding pressure from Josh Malin (replacing Gus Burton at Century Motorsport), whom he jumped at the start. Fifth on race two’s partially reversed grid, de Haan was left stranded by a suspected clutch failure. Polesitter Charles Rainford led from Malin as James Kellett (Century)…

SPA GB3 3-4 JUNE Hitech’s Alex Dunne claimed his first two GB3 Championship race victories of the season at Spa, as Joseph Loake first lost and then regained the championship lead. Rodin Carlin’s Callum Voisin secured a double pole position in qualifying on Friday evening, having gradually climbed up the order through the day’s three practice sessions, but in the opening two races on Saturday Dunne was able to pass the polesitter on each occasion to earn victory. Dunne’s first triumph came after a thrilling battle with Voisin, as the Irishman frequently got into his rival’s slipstream through Eau Rouge and along the Kemmel Straight. He finally made the move stick on the sixth lap around the outside into Les Combes, having drawn alongside much earlier compared to his previous…

SNETTERTON MSVR 3-4 JUNE Tom Roche and Simon Orange were the Saturday winners in the GT Cup, steering their McLaren 720S to both the sprint and endurance wins. Polesitter Roche won convincingly in the shorter race from Hugo Cook’s Audi R8, as guest entry and British GT driver Darren Leung finished third in a BMW M4 having made progress from fifth on the grid. McLaren debutant Mark Radcliffe was fourth having scrapped with the sister 720S of Matt Topham until a spin by Topham dropped him back, as a track limits penalty meant he finished sixth. Just ahead, the Drivetac Mercedes-AMG, driven by Sam Maher-Loughnan, finished fifth from in the pitlane as he finished with a last-lap puncture. Looming behind the leading drivers was the 720S of reigning British GT…

BRANDS HATCH CSCC 3-4 JUNE Christians Douglas and Pittard swapped thuggish V8-engined TVR Griffith and Formula 5000 Chevron-Chevrolet B28 respectively at Silverstone the previous weekend for rampant lightweight four-cylinder bolides to win the opening races of the entertaining Classic Sports Car Club/Brands Britannia Indy circuit event in glorious summery conditions. Pittard guided his stunning Team Leos/VDS Caterham 7 CSR – a 530kg missile motivated by a 350bhp 2.5-litre Duratec engine – to Magnificent Sevens pole at 47.724s (91.11mph), but took a 15-place drop for victory at Snetterton. Colin Watson rounded Andy Grant to lead at Paddock, but Pittard subsequently hurtled ahead, leaving Watson to thwart Tim Davis, up from 12th. Davis jumped Watson at race two’s start, as Pittard picked his way through again. When Christian hit the front, Davis…

LE MANS WINNING COLOURS Mike Hill RRP £25 If the new Hypercar era has inspired you to take more interest in Le Mans, or you have a youngster beginning to get enthused, this could be a good way into the history of the race. And that’s meant as no insult to Hill. Hill is not a hardened journalist with decades of Le Mans coverage behind him, but this book has allowed him to expand his interest, with introductions for each decade and side-on illustrations of every winner surrounded by relevant information, such as winning distances, fastest laps and pole times. We’re not convinced every single one is correct, but we felt the same way going over the ACO’s official records last month. As we know, a hundred years of numbers…

LE MANS 24 HOURS The battle for the Le Mans 24 Hours appears to have been blown wide open by a The odds on Toyota winning this weekend’s double-points round of the World Endurance Championship lengthened dramatically after it was hit with a weight penalty ahead of the official Le Mans Test Day last weekend. The big winners in a shuffle of the Hypercar pack appear to be Porsche and Peugeot after torrid starts to their 2023 campaigns. The BoP change was revealed on Wednesday afternoon last week by the FIA and the Automobile Club de l’Ouest, just days ahead of Sunday’s Le Mans Test Day. Its effect on the Hypercar order was dramatic. Ferrari again showed it had the one-lap pace with the 499P Le Mans Hypercar as it…

FORMULA 1 Haas Formula 1 boss Guenther Steiner was slapped with a reprimand by the FIA stewards at last weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix after he labelled the governing body’s referees as “laymen” for handing a five-second penalty to his driver Nico Hulkenberg in Monaco for his role in a first-lap collision. Steiner reckoned Hulkenberg did nothing untoward and so called for the appointment of full-time professional stewards in a bid to bring about greater consistency. “Every professional sport has got professionals being referees and stuff like this,” he said. “F1 is one of the biggest sports in the world, and we still have laymen deciding on the fate of people who invest millions in their careers. And it’s always a discussion because there’s no consistency. I think we need to…

MACAU GRAND PRIX Formula 3 is to return to the streets of Macau this November after an absence of three seasons. The FIA Formula 3 and GT World Cups will headline the 70th running of the Macau Grand Prix on the weekend of 18-19 November following three years during which travel restrictions into China resulting from the COVID pandemic precluded an international presence. The two races had been scheduled to return last year, but the quarantine period that remained in force for arrivals into China resulted in the fixtures falling over. Confirmation of the return of F3 follows comments from FIA single-seater strategy director Francois Sicard in March that the governing body was working on bringing the category back to Macau. The F3 race, which in 2019 was held for…

BRIDGESTONE BIDS FOR F1 The question of Formula 1 tyre supply was thrown open just as we went to press with suggestions that Bridgestone, which provided control rubber from 2007-10, is to take on the incumbent Pirelli in the tender process for 2025-27. The deadline for applicants closed on 15 May, and the FIA will declare the approved bidders on 16 June. Pirelli faced rivalry from Hankook in the last tender process. LE MANS ENTRY CHANGES Tower Motorsports boss John Farano has pulled out of the Le Mans 24 Hours due to back injuries he sustained at last month’s Laguna Seca IMSA round. The Canadian has been replaced by Steven Thomas, who races in IMSA for the TDS Racing squad that is masterminding the Tower Le Mans entry. The other…

“I was just in a daze out there. I didn’t even know it was the last lap at the end. That’s how zoned in I was. I was ready to keep going.” Those aren’t the words of Max Verstappen after the 2023 Spanish Grand Prix, but of the driver behind him last Sunday after the finish at Barcelona three years ago. And whereas Lewis Hamilton was serene in that 2020 event, Verstappen had several visible and audible distractions from what on paper looked like an equally simple blast from pole to victory. When the starting tyres were revealed, it was little surprise to see Sergio Perez, who was lining up 11th, starting on the mediums instead of the softs that most of the top 10 were on. They’d gone with…

INDYCAR DETROIT (USA) 4 JUNE ROUND 7/17 A week after the Indianapolis 500, IndyCar’s Detroit Grand Prix came down to a shootout between two stars from Team Penske and Chip Ganassi Racing. This time, it wasn’t Josef Newgarden and Marcus Ericsson going toe-to-toe, but Will Power and Alex Palou – and Chip got his revenge over his old adversary Roger. The stage couldn’t have been more different, with Indy’s vast oval giving way to a new 1.645-mile layout around Detroit’s downtown streets, using a couple of small portions from the Formula 1 track of the 1980s. The lure was General Motors’ headquarters, the Renaissance Center, as Penske Entertainment switched the event from nearby Belle Isle. Palou labelled the circuit “too tight” and “too short”, but couldn’t complain as he took…

GT WORLD CHALLENGE EUROPE ENDURANCE CUP PAUL RICARD (FRA) 3 JUNE ROUND 2/5 A scintillating final pair of stints from Raffaele Marciello helped the ASP Mercedes team claim a thoroughly well-deserved GT World Challenge Europe victory on home soil at Paul Ricard last Saturday. With Jules Gounon and Timur Boguslavskiy also on driving duties, the reigning Endurance Cup champion team demonstrated its long-distance form in efficient fashion, beating the GetSpeed-run AlManar Mercedes of Maro Engel, Luca Stolz and Fabian Schiller by 10 seconds at the end of six hours of racing. Gounon took pole ahead of Engel, and they maintained position at the start despite a post-qualifying Balance of Performance change that added an extra 20kg to the AMG GT3 machines. Following an early safety car, the race then started…

GT & SPORTS CAR CUP The GT & Sports Car Cup grid will be one of the main attractions this weekend at Silverstone for the MG and Triumph 100 extravaganza. Nine top-spec Jaguar E-types and a pair of AC Cobras head the category’s strongest field in several years as the Pre-’66 invitation series kicks off its season with a 90-minute race. Richard Kent’s E-type fixed-head coupe ‘CUT 7,’ a familiar sight at the venue in the hands of Jaguar specialist Dick Protheroe, is an exciting late entry. But the Coventry marque’s quality representation runs deeper, for local heroes John and Gary Pearson, Graeme and James Dodd, Phil Keen, Oliver Bryant, Ben Adams and Scots John Clark/Gordie Mutch will drive bubble-topped roadster versions. Father and son Chris Chiles Jr and Sr…

RECORD NUMBERS IN F4 The British Formula 4 Championship recorded its largest-ever grid at Thruxton last weekend. After turning 15 since last month’s Snetterton round, South African Mika Abrahams was able to begin his campaign with Fortec Motorsports, taking the field to 23 cars. Abrahams, who was fourth in Danish F4 last year at the age of 14, set the 10th fastest time in qualifying and had a best result of ninth. REBRAND FOR TRUST The British Motorsport Trust has undergone a rebrand to help it further engage with the motorsport community as it transitions from the British Motor Sport Training Trust (BMSTT). A new website has been launched – britishmotorsporttrust.org – while the UK-registered charity has also taken to social media for the first time to help showcase its…

BRITISH HILLCLIMB The all-new P4t hillclimb car built by Alex Summers and his family was pressed into action at Shelsley Walsh last weekend after their DJ Firehawk ran an engine bearing at Gurston Down a week earlier. A late decision was made to give the P4t its second public appearance, after Summers had driven it on its debut at Loton Park. His wife Debbie and father Richard shared the car initially at Shelsley but, when British Hillclimb Championship contender Trevor Willis hit engine problems with his OMS, Richard stood down to allow Willis to drive on Sunday. “Trevor made some of the parts for the car and we wouldn’t have got to Loton Park without his help,” said Summers Sr. The P4t ran faultlessly as the drivers increased their pace…

MINI 7 RACING CLUB Andrew Jordan and father Mike reminded the British Touring Car crowds of their skill and panache with two wins apiece as they and the Mini 7 Racing Club starred on a welcome return to the BTCC bill. Jordan Jr won the first Mini Miglia thriller around the super-fast circuit through a combination of pace and guile. He traded places throughout with Rupert Deeth, Aaron Smith and Jeff Smith, with the combatants often three-abreast up Woodham Hill approaching the chicane. Each enjoyed spells in front, but Jordan was plotting his last-lap charge. He had been intentionally dropping back, testing how many places he could regain, to determine the optimum position to start the final tour. “I went to fifth, I think it was, and I couldn’t get…

MINI CHALLENGE TROPHY It was hero-to-zero and zero-to-hero respectively for Alex Solley and Jake Byrne in the Mini Challenge Trophy at Thruxton, with three generally unruly contests featuring insanely close racing and numerous incidents. Maximus Hall and Harry Hickton made it a Junior Saloons class-of-2022 front-row lockout, and the opener shook out as a seven-car battle following an early safety car. Byrne needed a new engine after qualifying, but steering failure in the race led to a collision that caused the pause. Solley emerged in front with two and a half laps to go to beat Rhys Hurd and Tom Ovenden. Solley was leading the second race from Nicky Taylor when Hickton, running third, clipped a tyre stack at the chicane, launching him into a series of rolls. After a…

SILVERSTONE BARC G FEST 2-4 JUNE Freddie Slater added another four wins to his impressive Ginetta Junior campaign during the marque’s 65th anniversary festival at Silverstone, but he was denied a record-equalling 12th triumph by a penalty. The first of three days of action took place on Friday on the Grand Prix circuit, with the opening Ginetta Junior contest providing plenty of drama. Slater faced early competition from Charlie Hart and Hugo Schwarze – the trio all enjoying spells in the lead – before Slater and Schwarze collided at Brooklands and lost ground, while Hart retired with damage shortly after in a separate incident with Chase Fernandez. Finn Harrison climbed from 20th to grab first late on but contact with Reza Seewooruthun allowed Fernandez to move ahead and lead home…

SHELSLEY WALSH BRITISH HILLCLIMB 3-4 JUNE Wallace Menzies and hillclimbing in general were both winners at Shelsley Walsh during rounds 11 and 12 of the British Hillclimb Championship last weekend. This was a fabulous day for the discipline. The sun shone, a bumper crowd packed the slopes of the Teme Valley and the competition was fierce but sporting as the BHC came to Shelsley Walsh. With its proud 118-year history, it is the place where everyone wants to win and the event showed off all that is great about this branch of the sport. To win both run-offs in one day at the Worcestershire hill is very special and that’s exactly what Menzies did to underline his status as favourite for a fourth consecutive title. But the Flying Scotsman was…

Of all the team-mates Karun Chandhok has had during his career, one name stands out. Bruno Senna immediately comes to mind for the Indian, and not just because the duo ended up as colleagues in GP2, Formula 1 and Formula E. “From the first GP2 test we did together at Jerez, we just got on really well,” says the Sky F1 pundit, who raced alongside Ayrton Senna’s nephew at iSport in the 2008 GP2 Asia series as a prelude to contesting the full season together. “It was a really enjoyable year. We’d arrive at a race weekend and we’d start with two different programmes, compare data and it was all very open.” After Senna finished fifth in GP2 Asia and Chandhok 13th, they both finished on the podium in the…

Wholesale changes to the Balance of Performance for the Le Mans 24 Hours were not possible under the new system introduced for 2023. Not without the unanimous agreement of all seven participating marques. But the FIA and the Automobile Club de l’Ouest, who run the World Endurance Championship, opted to make unilateral changes in the run-up to the most important race of the season in its centenary year. There was scope to change the balance between the Le Mans Hypercar and LMDh machinery ahead of Le Mans, though when that could come seemed to be a matter of debate between the manufacturers. Deciding who was correct wasn’t possible because the document governing the BoP isn’t in the public domain. That debate came to a sudden and dramatic end at lunchtime…

Five-time World Rallycross champion Johan Kristoffersson took honours in the opening round of the 2023 season at Montalegre last weekend at the wheel of his Volkswagen Polo RX1e, but hands up who would rather see a photo of Sebastien Loeb at the wheel of Special One Racing’s Lancia Delta Evo-e RX… The French legend made the final in Portugal, but sustained a puncture and finished sixth. Peugeot driver Kevin Hansen chased fellow Swede Kristoffersson home in second place, holding off Niclas Gronholm. The other finalists were Ole Christian Veiby (fourth) and Klara Andersson (fifth).…

This all feels familiar. Formula 1 heading home from the Spanish Grand Prix with Max Verstappen as the dominant race winner at the championship’s laboratory track. And Mercedes hopeful it has made tangible progress in closing the performance gap to the front. “Probably the most interesting thing in Spain was that Mercedes turned a corner,” claimed Autosport, four days on from Verstappen’s triumph ahead of Sergio Perez and George Russell in the 2022 Barcelona contest. Fast-forward to the 2023 edition just gone and, while Mercedes’ positive performance in Spain has set tongues wagging, arguably the most interesting thing about last weekend was how good the racing was. Behind Verstappen, that is… Attention now turns to those races remaining and the key question of this season and the rest of the…

Qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix deviated from ‘normal’ in every way but the most important: Max Verstappen sealed pole for Red Bull. There was a twist even in that, though, given how Q3 played out for the world champion. In Q1, the pack had largely been queueing at the end of the pitlane in anticipation of rain ruining the slick running fun, as it had in FP3. A few drops fell, but it wasn’t a deluge to be feared. Nevertheless, so many drivers went off on the still slippery surface – Fernando Alonso at the final corner, Alex Albon at Turn 5, Valtteri Bottas and Nyck de Vries at Turns 11/12 – that early red flags were required so marshals could sweep away the gravel. When Q1 resumed, Charles…

Lando Norris’s bid to add to McLaren’s points tally at Barcelona was eradicated in the opening two corners after the Briton made contact with Lewis Hamilton at Turn 2, causing a front-wing breakage. McLaren had starred in qualifying and Norris had been able to coax his MCL60 into third, but had been doubtful of his chances of achieving anything more than a finish in the lower reaches of the points. Norris chose not to defend the inside line from Hamilton at the start, allowing the Mercedes to slip down the inside at Turn 1. But with Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz bunched up through Turn 2, forcing Hamilton to react, Norris was simply caught in a position where he clipped the W14’s left-rear wheel. The McLaren’s endplate was broken, lodged…

Alpine collected its third double points finish in a row after Pierre Gasly was promoted to 10th following Yuki Tsunoda’s penalty. Gasly’s march to fourth in qualifying was impressive, although penalties for impeding over the course of the Saturday session rather took the shine off and bumped him down to 10th. A poor start forced him into having to recover the damage, ultimately fending off Charles Leclerc for the last point. Monaco podium finisher Esteban Ocon had a great race once again, battled hard for the best-of-the-rest honours and collected a hard-earned eighth-place finish. After spending much of the race in the top seven, Ocon was subject to a risky pass from ex-team-mate Fernando Alonso, and and undercut during the second round of pitstops by Tsunoda when the Japanese’s aggressive…

FORMULA 2 BARCELONA (ESP) 3-4 JUNE ROUND 6/13 Formula 2 rookie sensation Ollie Bearman completed a Prema Racing clean sweep at Barcelona by adding victory in the feature race to series leader Frederik Vesti’s triumph in Saturday’s sprint race. The 18-year-old Ferrari Driver Academy starlet converted pole to a comfortable third win in the category to bounce back from a tricky weekend last time out in Monaco, which followed a clean sweep in Baku. Bearman had to fight off a strong challenge from Enzo Fittipaldi at the start. The Briton, the Brazilian and Ayumu Iwasa ran side by side into Turn 1, but Fittipaldi had to take to the escape road before his Rodin Carlin car emerged in second place. Bearman broke out of DRS reach in the first few…

SUPER GT SUZUKA (JPN) 4 JUNE ROUND 3/8 Super GT’s first visit of the year to Suzuka was overshadowed by a huge crash for Nissan driver Tsugio Matsuda and confusion surrounding the winner. The 450km race was red-flagged on lap 59 of a scheduled 77 due to Matsuda’s horrific shunt at 130R while trying to negotiate GT300 traffic, and was not resumed. NISMO man Matsuda was fighting for third when he made contact with the Toyota GR86 of Manabu Orido and Lamborghini Huracan GT3 of Kosuke Matsuura exiting the famous left-hander, launching into the barriers. The Nissan was almost destroyed and the Lamborghini was also badly damaged. Matsuda had to be airlifted to hospital but escaped serious injury, while Matsuura was able to walk away. It was the NISMO-run NDDP…

Ferrari is back and gunning for victory at the Le Mans 24 Hours after half a century. That statement needs to be qualified, twice over in fact. It’s back with a prototype and as a factory entrant. That’s what is new for 2023. Beyond the inevitable fanfare of the arrival of the 499P Le Mans Hypercar, it’s important to remember that the Italian manufacturer’s history at the French enduro and in the wider sportscar racing realm didn’t abruptly stop at the end of 1973. The Prancing Horse has been active and successful on the hallowed asphalt of the Circuit de la Sarthe in the 50 years since. In the 49 editions of the great race since Ferrari’s fleet of 312PB three-litre prototypes ran Matra close for victory, a car bearing…

PORSCHE CARRERA CUP GB Josh Malin will complete the Porsche Carrera Cup GB season with Century Motorsport after taking two podiums on his return to the series in place of Gus Burton at Thruxton last weekend. One-time Ginetta GT5 Challenge champion Malin placed seventh in his debut Carrera Cup season with Richardson Racing in 2021, before impressing while substituting for the injured Jack Bartholomew for three events last year. After starting 2023 without a drive, Malin has stepped into the Rosland Gold-backed seat vacated by Burton, who is set to focus on his Formula 1-supporting Porsche Supercup campaign after a non-score at Brands Hatch last month derailed his Carrera Cup GB title bid. Century boss Nathan Freke said: “There’s lots of very, very talented drivers out there, but there’s not…

BRITISH RALLYCROSS Twelve months after claiming his maiden outright Supercar victory at Mondello Park, Citroen DS3 campaigner Tristan Ovenden left the Irish circuit in the lead of the British Rallycross Championship 5 Nations Trophy standings. But the weekend was far from straightforward for the former Supernational title-winner. Contact with former British RX champion Derek Tohill in the final on Saturday broke the right-rear suspension on Ovenden’s Citroen, putting him out after leading early on. Tohill drove to the round win ahead of fellow Irishman John McCluskey, as the British and Irish Rallycross championships combined for the double-header event, and it was six-time British champion Julian Godfrey who took top British points in third. Meanwhile, Jake Harris drove his all-electric BMW Mini RX Supercar to fifth overall and second of the…

BRITISH F4 Hitech’s Thruxton form in British Formula 4 continued as Jimmy Piszcyk and Will Macintyre took maiden series victories – the team’s sixth and seventh from nine races in Hampshire since joining the championship. But Rodin Carlin’s Louis Sharp limited the damage with a pair of podiums to retain a narrow points lead. The Hitech quartet qualified in the top six for both races, and Australian Piszcyk converted pole to victory ahead of Macintyre and Sharp as Saturday’s race ended under safety car conditions. Polesitter Macintyre was also never headed in the finale but initially faced a concerted challenge from team-mate Gabriel Stilp. Stilp was increasingly ragged in the closing stages, dropping a wheel off track and then suffering brake lock-ups. That invited Alpine Formula 1 junior Aiden Neate…

MINI MIGLIA Race 1 (both 14 laps) 1 Andrew Jordan; 2 Aaron Smith +0.239s; 3 Kane Astin; 4 Jeff Smith; 5 Colin Peacock; 6 Phil Bullen-Brown. Fastest lap Astin 1m28.924s (95.38mph). Pole Jordan. Starters 25. Race 2 1 Jordan; 2 J Smith +0.143s; 3 A Smith; 4 Rupert Deeth; 5 Scott Kendall; 6 Peacock. FL A Smith 1m28.658s (95.66mph). P Kendall. S 24. MINI SE7EN Race 1 (both 13 laps) 1 Mike Jordan; 2 Connor O’Brien +0.829s; 3 Ross Billison; 4 Spencer Wanstall; 5 Damien Harrington; 6 Darren Thomas. FL Billison 1m36.113s (88.24mph). P Jordan. S 32. Race 2 1 Jordan; 2 Billison +0.496s; 3 Wanstall; 4 Joe Thompson; 5 Harrington; 6 Glen Woodbridge. FL Jordan 1m36.040s (88.31mph). P Graeme Davis. S 31. BRITISH FORMULA 4 Race 1 (14 laps)…

OULTON PARK 750MC 3 JUNE With hordes of BMWs descending on Oulton Park for the BMW Sommerfest, it was fitting that it was the BMW Car Club Championship that stole the show at a scorching 750 Motor Club meeting. With two wins apiece this season, Niall Bradley and Graham Crowhurst headed into rounds five and six on equal footing and set up a mouth-watering prospect for race one after qualifying alongside each on the front row in their E46 M3s. Bradley took the advantage from polesitter Crowhurst and held a narrow lead at the start, with Paul Cook joining the scrap in third. When Lee Piercey’s E36 ended up in the gravel at Shell Oils Corner, the safety car forced the leading trio together and set up a breathless second…

SNETTERTON GT CUP Race 1 Tom Roche (McLaren 720S GT3) Race 2 Simon Orange/Tom Roche (McLaren 720S GT3) Race 3 Sam Maher-Loughnan (Mercedes-AMG GT3) Race 4 Mark Radcliffe/Rob Bell (McLaren 720S GT3) CLUBMANS SPORTS PROTOTYPE Races 1, 2 & 3 James Clarke (Phantom PR22, below) BELL SPORT CHALLENGE SERIES Races 1 & 2 Peter Smith (Ferrari 488) FOCUS CUP Race 1 Lewis Clark Races 2 & 4 Ian Mitchell Race 3 Jonathan Baker SILVERSTONE GINETTA JUNIOR Races 1 & 6 Chase Fernandez Races 2, 3, 4 & 5 Freddie Slater GINETTA GT CHAMPIONSHIP Races 1, 2 & 3 Ruben Hage Races 4, 5, 6 & 7 Blake Angliss GINETTA GT ACADEMY Races 1, 2, 3 & 4 Ravi Ramyead Races 5 & 6 Nick White For full results visit: tsl-timing.com…

ANGLESEY BARC 3-4 JUNE Daire Flock proved unbeatable in the Junior Saloons at Anglesey, taking all three wins last weekend. He led race one from the opening lap, after poleman Cameron Pratt-Thompson lost out. But, while Flock began to stretch his lead, Pratt-Thompson found his car jumping out of third gear, which left him trailing Jack James and Oskar Dix after three laps. As James scampered clear in second, Dix and CJ Morgan began squabbling for third, after Pratt-Thompson’s gear selection problem reoccurred exiting the Corkscrew. Morgan finally secured the place on the dash for the line, beating Dix by just 0.065 seconds. It was a lights-to-flag success for Flock in the second race, with Jonathan Moore holding second from Church on the opening lap, but he had been caught…

Rene Arnoux waits for the 13.08 seconds that it’ll take to fit a set of new Goodyears and refuel his Ferrari 126C3 during the 1983 German Grand Prix at Hockenheim. Arnoux had qualified second to team-mate Patrick Tambay, but elbowed his way past on lap three of 45 to take a lead that he would only relinquish – to Nelson Piquet’s Brabham BT52 – during the race’s sequence of mid-distance pitstops. He crossed the line 1m10.652s ahead of the Alfa Romeo 183T of third-place qualifier Andrea de Cesaris; Piquet’s team-mate Riccardo Patrese was a further half-minute down the road. For classic motorsport DVDs and downloads head to dukevideo.com For more great photographs, visit motorsportimages.com…