Indholdsfortegnelse for 04/02/21 i Autosport

Before he went off-line for a well-earned break this week, our Chief Editor Kevin Turner picked out the top five cars produced by McLaren over its 55-year history in Formula 1 (p29). Not a single one was from the 21st century. While that doesn’t quite tell you all you need to know about the team’s recent plight (the 2007-08 weaponry, for example, was pretty handy), it is eye-opening. The nadir, of course, came in the mid-to-late 2010s, but McLaren’s subsequent change of management and drivers has put it firmly back on an upward trajectory. And now, with the overnight disappearance of financial worries, a new supply of the Mercedes engines it should never have got rid of, and Daniel Ricciardo on board to partner Lando Norris, things could get better…

WEC Former Porsche, Chevrolet and Ford factory GT star Richard Westbrook will race the new Glickenhaus Le Mans Hypercar in this year’s World Endurance Championship. The Briton was one of five names announced for the team’s pair of Pipo-engined 007LMs last week, bringing its roster to seven drivers. It will be the first time that Westbrook has raced a Le Mans-rules prototype. His previous experience in pure-bred sportscars came in the Daytona Prototype ranks in Grand-Am and then the unified IMSA series, which included a five-year stint as a factory Chevrolet driver in 2011-15. “I loved racing the DPs and my background is single-seaters, so I’ve always wanted to have a go in the top class at the Le Mans 24 Hours,” he said. “Whatever class you are in you…

BTCC Four-time British Touring Car champion Colin Turkington will remain with the West Surrey Racing-run BMW squad in 2021. Turkington, who starts his 14th season in the WSR fold, will spearhead a three-car. line-up of BMW 330i M Sports. Tom Oliphant is tipped to stay on in the second car, while Stephen Jelley has been strongly linked with a return to WSR. WSR retains its longstanding tie-up with BMW UK, whose support enables it, among other things, to employ Turkington. “What we achieved together last season was phenomenal,” said Turkington, who lost the title battle to Ash Sutton in the final race. “It didn’t have the fairytale ending we all wanted, but believe it or not, you can learn a great deal from defeat, so I’m convinced I will bring…

FORMULA E Formula E will race on a bona fide permanent circuit for the first time in 2021, although it’s a battle between Vallelunga and Valencia to see which venue gets to host a little bit of history. The electric championship has announced the next batch of six races that, subject to FIA approval, will bolster its heavily disrupted calendar for the forthcoming season. Monaco, Marrakech and a double-header event in Santiago all return to the fold as expected, meaning it’s the April dates that pique interest. Following the already confirmed two Saudi Arabia night races, Rome is set for a comeback on 10 April, when the DS Techeetah, Nissan e.dams and Dragon Penske Autosport teams will introduce their new powertrains. But Vallelunga has been placed on standby should a…

Although the 2020 Formula 1 season had its moments, it was a one-sided affair. Bearing in mind the outstanding effort by F1 to get the show on the road, and the relief and delight that any racing was at all possible, it would seem churlish to criticise the season. Yet it is likely we are in for another dose of the same this year, over (perhaps) 23 races rather than 17. Last September, in the wake of Pierre Gasly’s Monza miracle, Ross Brawn resurrected the old chestnut of reversed grids, proposed within the context of some experimentation with different formats in the closing races of the season once the championship chase was over. Toto Wolff, likening the idea to WWE or reality shows, killed the debate in its tracks. And…

One of the first major moves of Zak Brown’s premiership at McLaren was its return to the Indianapolis 500 in 2017 with Fernando Alonso. It set the tone for a maintained interest in racing ventures beyond F1 for McLaren. After an unsuccessful second attempt at entering the Indy 500 in 2019, McLaren linked up with Schmidt Peterson Motorsports to form Arrow McLaren SP, entering two cars for the full 2020 season (see page 32). McLaren announced last month that it had signed an option to enter a team into Formula E from 2022 (p30), subject to further evaluation of the project, and has always been at the table through discussions of the World Endurance Championship’s Hypercar plans. Brown refers to McLaren’s wider motorsport interests as being part of a “solar…

McLaren was pushed through the financial wringer in 2020. It withdrew a £150million loan from the National Bank of Bahrain, sought fast-tracked legal action from UK courts, offered its Technology Centre for sale, and made 1200 positions redundant. Against that backdrop, showing interest in a new racing programme would appear insensitive and optimistic. But thanks to the loan and a £185m cash injection coming from an American consortium buying an initial 15% stake in its Formula 1 team, the balance sheets are looking healthier. That’s why the McLaren Racing arm has signed an agreement with Formula E that gives it the option to join the electric grid for the arrival of the Gen3 rules in 2022. By then, the cars will have gone on a 120kg crash diet, while power…

What the hell am I doing here?” Stuck twice in the desert – its deep, fine and soft sand like talcum powder – Amy Lerner was questioning exactly why she was in Saudi Arabia. That day on stage seven, Ha’il-Sakaka, as the Dakar Classic was exploring the northern border of the country, the American entrepreneur was wondering if it had been such a clever idea to bring an “old lady” like the revered Porsche 911 to once again tackle the extreme and hostile conditions of the open desert: “Everybody was stuck, even the 4x4 and organisation cars!” An experienced off-road racer with several rallies under her belt (from the Gazelle Rally in Morocco to the Australasian Safari that she won in her category in 2013), Lerner called on all her…

ASIAN FORMULA 3 DUBAI (ARE) 29-30 JANUARY ROUND 1/5 FIA Formula 2 race winner Guanyu Zhou’s winter quest for a pocketful of F1 superlicence points began in style with a dominant double win in the opening round of the Formula 3 Asian Championship in Dubai. But Zhou and his fellow stepping-down-the-ladder F2 cohorts were outshone in a gripping final race won by FIA F3 newcomer Pierre-Louis Chovet. The victory of Chovet, a leading light in last year’s Formula Regional European Championship, more than made up for the opening pair of astonishingly sterile races. The Regional F3 Tatuus chassis used in the series has not been renowned for being a very raceable machine in its first two seasons of use in Asian F3, FRegional and FRenault, and the wide-open expanses of…

BRITISH FORMULA 4 British Formula 4 podium finisher Roman Bilinski has switched to Carlin for his second season in the category this year, where he will be joined by promising karter Dougie Bolger. Bilinski finished eighth in the standings last year in his first season in single-seaters with Arden, but has now moved to the squad that has powered the champion in four of the six years to date of British F4. Bilinski is only the second driver with previous F4 experience to be announced as racing in the series for 2021, and is set to be the highest-placed driver to continue. Last season gave me a lot of really valuable experience, and I’m looking forward to putting that together with the team to really unlock my potential,” said Bilinski.…

THUNDERSPORTS Trans-Am and IMSA GT cars from the 1970s are being invited to join the grid for the Historic Sports Car Club’s Thundersports series in 2021. The series, which recreates the ethos of the original Thundersports races of the 1980s, has predominantly run over the past two seasons for a field of pre-1981 sportsprototypes, but the promoters are now keen to build a GT element to the grid and are seeking to encourage period GT cars, including those from the US-based Trans-Am and IMSA GT classes. The five-event series is open to a range of cars, notably those of the type used in the World Championship, FIA GT Championship and FIA 2 Litre Sports Car Championship up to 1981, along with Can-Am sportsracing cars from the 1970s and Ford Pinto-powered…

ELITE’S FIRST F3 DRIVER Elite Motorsport has unveiled Spanish Formula 4 graduate Javier Sagrera Pont as its first driver in BRDC British F3 for 2021, when it will make its debut in single-seaters. Australian Bart Horsten has also revealed he will contest a second season of British F3, with Hitech GP. The 18-year-old competed with Lanan Racing last season and secured a best finish of second at the Silverstone finale. STANLEY TO CARRERA CUP Former British GT racer Micah Stanley has become the first driver officially confirmed for the Porsche Carrera Cup GB this year. Stanley drove for the Academy Motorsport Aston Martin GT4 squad in 2019, having previously raced in the European GT4 Series. He makes the switch to Porsches with leading Carrera Cup squad Redline Racing. ANOTHER MN…

Looking to the future can be difficult when the present is proving such a challenge. Dealing with the coronavirus pandemic and all the uncertainty it brings means organisers are coming up with plans, modifying those, producing more contingency plans, and adapting those amid changing dates for the high-profile events. Therefore, investing in new ideas and improving existing categories for the future could be overlooked. But this issue of Autosport, along with other news stories from over the past few weeks, proves that’s not necessarily the case in UK club racing. Despite the impact of COVID-19, six new series were still able to launch successfully in 2020, and another seven are already in the pipeline for the year ahead. Other organisers are modifying rules, tweaking eligibility criteria or merging grids with…

‘Artificial’, ‘gimmick’, and ‘a band-aid’ are just some of the criticisms levelled at the Drag Reduction System since it was introduced at the beginning of the 2011 Formula 1 season. The system was seen as a quick, a_ ordable and e_ cient fix to improve overtaking. The need for such a device was perhaps best illustrated at the last race without it, the 2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, where Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso spent lap after lap stuck behind Vitaly Petrov, unable to get within striking distance of the Renault to make a pass as his chances of a third title slipped away. Trial-and-error was the order of the day for much of DRS’s inaugural season, with some circuits implementing two activation zones, and the lengths of those zones differing to…

FORMULA 1 When Pierre Gasly last week became the sixth of the current Formula 1 drivers to test positive for COVID-19, it brought the figure up to 30% of the grid and raised the question: why are they so susceptible? Sergio Perez, Lance Stroll and Lewis Hamilton all missed races in 2020 after contracting the disease. And Gasly’s diagnosis means he becomes the third driver within three weeks – following Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris – to catch COVID-19 while in Dubai. AlphaTauri driver Gasly has spent much of the winter at his apartment in Dubai while also completing an off-season training camp to prepare for the new campaign. The Italian Grand Prix winner confirmed via social media that he was “currently self-isolating and following the protocols set by the…

IMSA SPORTSCAR Acura has laid its cards on the table and committed to building an LMDh prototype for the 2023 season. The Honda submarque has joined Audi and Porsche in declaring its hand, a significant move because it has become the first of the manufacturers currently racing in the IMSA SportsCar Championship’s top division to sign up. The commitment from Acura, which joined the existing Daytona Prototype international ranks in 2018, came just days before Wayne Taylor Racing notched up a first IMSA enduro victory for the marque at Daytona last week. The announcement covers only the IMSA series, because Acura is not a global brand and is centred on North America, whereas Audi and Porsche have revealed their intention to race in the World Endurance Championship as well as…

IMSA SPORTSCAR It could be the final nail in the coffin for the GTE class. IMSA has announced that for next season it will drop the GT Le Mans class based on the World Endurance Championship category in favour of a GT Daytona Pro division for GT3 machinery. The move, which coincides with the introduction of new GT3 rules, follows a rapid decline in manufacturer participation and grid size in professional GTE racing on either side of the Atlantic since the WEC hit a five-marque high in 2018-19. Ford and BMW quit the series at the end of the so-called superseason and Aston Martin withdrew after 2019-20. IMSA has lost Ford and Porsche, while BMW has slimmed its programme to the four long-distance races. That has left Chevrolet with Corvette…

ALESI IS OFF TO JAPAN Giuliano Alesi is to step down to F3 level this season with a switch to Japan’s Super Formula Lights, and has left the Ferrari Driver Academy. Alesi, who is half-Japanese, will drive for top team TOM’S, with Toyota proteges Kazuto Kotaka (staying on for another year in SFL) and Hibiki Taira (the reigning F4 champion) expected to join him. Alesi will also drive in Super GT’s GT300 class with Toyota Team Thailand alongside Sean Walkinshaw. JONES BACK IN INDYCAR Anglo-Emirati Ed Jones will return to IndyCar this season after a one-year break, replacing the NASCAR-bound Santino Ferrucci at Dale Coyne Racing. Another to make a fulltime return to the series is James Hinchcliffe. The six-time race winner takes the Andretti Autosport seat formerly occupied by…

Memories of Pat Patrick I was saddened to learn of the passing of legendary IndyCar team owner Pat Patrick (Obituary, 14 January). Pat was a mighty tough, very shrewd and fair negotiator, as I experienced frequently in selling him Indycars and obtaining the Indy Lights car supply contracts back in the late 1980s and 1990s. He was also personally an extremely generous man and was very kind and hospitable to me, and also to my wife when she accompanied me to some CART races and to his home. Despite his self-made wealth he was modest, but very determined and loved his racing (and the deal-making!). With loyal and long-serving support from stalwarts like Jim McGee and Roger Bailey, along with a number of others, Patrick Racing formed a formidable team.…

McLaren’s last Formula 1 title was Lewis Hamilton’s 2008 drivers’ crown, but it remains the second most successful team, with 182 wins to Ferrari’s 238. Assuming the 2021 calendar gets close to its planned schedule, McLaren will start its 900th world championship race this year, so it’s time to take a look at the team’s time at the pinnacle of motorsport. We’ve used supertimes, based on the fastest single lap by each car at each race weekend, expressed as a percentage of the fastest lap overall (100.000%) and averaged over each season. We have calculated how far behind the fastest team McLaren has been each season, or how far ahead. Bruce McLaren’s first F1 effort as a constructor was low-key. He started only four championship races in the 1966 M2B,…

Once we got used to seeing the large two-storey Arrow hospitality unit regularly appearing at IndyCar races, before the pandemic made such luxuries superfluous in 2020, it was easy to forget the humble beginnings from which the squad now known as Arrow McLaren SP had grown over the previous two decades. The rise was not meteoric: there were definite flat spots, usually as a result of partnerships that had their roots in expedience rather than expectation of excellence. Counterbalancing that trait along the way, team founder Sam Schmidt, whose underlying ambition and business smarts could rarely be questioned, doesn’t tend to shy away from making difficult decisions. Consequently, the team’s form never dipped for longer than a season, and the general trend was always upward. Now, little more than a…

The Cadillac stranglehold on the Daytona 24 Hours has been broken. And it took the team that had been at the vanguard of the marque’s domination from the start of the Daytona Prototype international era in 2017 to do it. Wayne Taylor Racing did what Penske was unable to achieve in three years with Acura by giving it a maiden victory in one of the big North American enduros, and at the first time of asking with its new partner. WTR claimed a third Daytona victory in a row, and sixth for team boss Wayne Taylor either as a driver or team owner, at the end of a thrilling race in which all but two of the seven DPis finished on the lead lap. Three of those five cars led…

TIPO184 A new series for machines inspired by the successful Alfa Romeo 158 grand prix racer will be operated by the British Racing & Sports Car Club in 2022. The Tipo184 concept was created by Dowsett Cars, a company founded by television car-builder/designer Ant Anstead, and the series will feature drivers buying kits to convert a regular Mk2 Mazda MX-5 into a machine that resembles the 1950s Formula 1 car. An example, which does not feature a roll bar, has already been built. The Alfa 158 dominated the inaugural F1 world championship season in 1950. It powered Giuseppe Farina to the drivers’ crown, despite having first been built in 1938, and achieved success not only before the Second World War but immediately after it A pilot race for the machines…

GINETTA GT ACADEMY An impressive 20 cars are expected on the grid for the inaugural round of Ginetta’s GT Academy series this year. The category replaces the Ginetta Racing Drivers Club as the manufacturer’s entry-level division and features the new GTA-spec G55 (below), which will run on road tyres. The series will feature predominantly on the support bill of British GT but is also due to appear at the Silverstone British Touring Car Championship event. Ginetta motorsport manager Ash Gallagher says 22 cars are currently in build, with one destined to race with the 750 Motor Club and another for a driver planning a testing programme this year. “If you had said six months ago we’re looking to have 20 cars at round one, I would’ve been made up,” he…

HISTORICS The Historic Sports Car Club’s Brands Hatch Super Prix event has been awarded the Royal Automobile Club’s Historic competitive event of the year for 2020. The Super Prix was one of the first historic race meetings to run in the UK last season after Motorsport UK’s suspension of event permits was lifted in July. After uncertainty surrounding whether or not the meeting would be able to go ahead, organisers were praised for the quality of the event that took place. “Against the odds, we managed to put on an event that was open to the public, and this is down to the cooperation between Jonathan Palmer, MotorSport Vision and our team,” said HSCC CEO Andy Dee-Crowne. “We’re delighted this was recognised by our peers in the industry. “We didn’t…

CADWELL PARK Leading UK circuit operator MotorSport Vision has continued to appeal for help because a safety car and medical vehicle remain missing after being stolen from Cadwell Park last week. Lincolnshire Police are investigating after the BMW M240i safety car and BMW X5 medical car, with a combined value believed to be more than £100,000, were stolen from the circuit at approximately 0015 on Tuesday 26 January. Maintenance equipment was also taken during the incident, while the circuit office IT and security systems were damaged. “It’s a tricky time for us anyway – we simply can’t operate at the moment [due to COVID-19] so it’s unhelpful to say the least,” said MSV operations manager Giles Butterfield. “The police have been very good, very cooperative. Their response has been excellent…

OBITUARY An enthusiastic FIA F2/F3 team owner and ex-Minardi Formula 1 driver, Adrian Campos died last week of “sudden coronary disease”. He was 60. Born in Valencia in 1960, Campos competed with radio-controlled model cars before moving into racing proper in Spain, originally on motorcycles. After switching to cars he quickly graduated to Formula 3, competing in the European series in 1983, and scoring his first points the following year. In 1985 he focused on German F3, in which he finished third behind Volker Weidler and Kris Nissen. The following year he made the full-time jump to F3000 with Peter Gethin Racing. In a packed field, he failed to qualify his March several times, and his best result was seventh in his home race at Jarama, after a late switch…

ASI Autosport International will burst back into life in 2022 after a one-year hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic. The traditional Burmingham NEC extravaganza will take place on 13-16 January 2022, with trade-only days on the first two days (Thursday and Friday) and public admission at the weekend. The popular Autosport Stage and Live Action Arena will return. ASI operations director Mandy Cox said: “For over 30 years, January has been the time when over 90,000 fans and trade professionals descend on Autosport International. Clearly, 2021 is a very different situation with lockdown three, but we are focused on making the 2022 event a fantastic bounceback celebration of everything that is great about our international industry and the sport we love.” Meanwhile, trade registration is now open for the 2021…

People love motorsport for plenty of reasons. For many, its ability to deliver the unexpected is what keeps them coming back. It’s the cliche of all sport: unscripted drama. The end of the 2021 Daytona 24 Hours had this on full display, with Renger van der Zande closely pursuing Filipe Albuquerque as the endurance event entered its final minutes. A puncture brought van der Zande’s chase to a devastating close, preventing a very late attack or even a final-lap pass. That last scenario is a rare thing in Formula 1. Of the 1035 races held so far in the world championship, only 26 times has a lead change occurred on the final tour, bringing a race to the ultimate last-gasp conclusion (although two of these include red-flagged races – the…

“I’M REALLY HAPPY TO SEE McLAREN SO CLOSE. IT’S GREAT TO SEE THEY ARE ENDING THE YEAR WITH A GOOD CAR, SO THEY CAN PERHAPS BE IN THE FIGHT WITH US NEXT YEAR. IF THAT MAKES IT A THREE-WAY TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP, I THINK THAT WOULD BE AMAZING.” As frustrated as he was with his own third-place finish, Lewis Hamilton spoke with real heart and pride about the performance of his former team, McLaren, in qualifying for the 2020 Formula 1 season finale in Abu Dhabi. Lando Norris had qualified fourth at Yas Marina. On face value, it was a decent but hardly extraordinary result, and not even the team’s best Saturday of the season. But the gap of 0.251 seconds to pole was minimal by any metric and, while skewed…

5 MP4/5 (1989-90) McLaren maintained its pre-eminent position as F1 switched from turbos to 3.5-litre naturally aspirated power in 1989. The Honda V10-engined MP4/5 was almost as dominant as the MP4/4 in terms of raw pace, though races were lost due to unreliability. The revised MP4/5B held off the Ferrari challenge in 1990, so the model managed two title doubles and 16 grand prix victories from 32 races. 4 MP4-13 (1998) Adrian Newey left Williams to join McLaren, and the 1998 MP4-13 was his first design for the team, produced for the new narrow, grooved-tyre regulations. Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard lapped the field at the season opener in Melbourne and, despite the banning of its innovative braking system and a charge from Ferrari, McLaren-Mercedes took 12 poles and nine…

GINETTA JUNIOR Leading Ginetta Junior squad Elite Motorsport has revealed a mixed line-up of podium finishers and rookies for the 2021 season, as the number of entries in the series has already surpassed 20. Elite has been the team to beat in the category in recent seasons, and has powered Adam Smalley, James Hedley and Tom Lebbon to the past three titles. Tommy Pintos and Seb Hopkins, both of whom took a podium with the squad in their rookie campaigns last year, will lead Elite’s 2021 roster. Will Jenkins will also remain with the team, after joining for the final three rounds of 2020. Joe Warhurst, who made his debut at the penultimate event last season, will also race for Elite, and will be joined by karting graduates Max Hall…

GEOFF LEES TROPHY Formula Ford Festival winner Rory Smith will add a 1980s Formula Atlantic car to his 2021 programme in a bid to broaden his racing experience. Smith, 21, will race a two-litre single-seater Ralt RT4 (right) in the new Geoff Lees Trophy series of races alongside an ongoing programme of modern Formula Ford racing. The car has been sourced from New Zealand and is due to arrive in the UK in March ahead of the opening races at Silverstone in late May. “It’s a step up to slicks-and-wings and a lot more power,” said Smith’s father Ray. “This seems a more cost-effective option in a powerful car to gain experience and build his reputation. It has 220bhp and weighs 470kg, so it’s very similar to more modern cars.…

KMSC The Scottish Legends championship has switched from the Scottish Motor Racing Club to run at Knockhill Motor Sports Club events in 2021. The series suffered small grids during the shortened 2020 campaign, only attracting five cars for some rounds, although it was back in double figures for a KMSC-organised event in October, when a number of guest drivers took part. It is hoped that the new arrangement will allow for increased entries again in the future. “After reaching an agreement with the Scottish Motor Racing Club, the Legends championship will now run at the KMSC events in 2021 with the first round timed for 16 May,” read a KMSC statement. “Add in the visit of the National and Irish championships at the May British Automobile Racing Club meeting, it…

MAZDA MX-5 CLUBMAN The existing series will continue in its traditional two-day format and will cater for the top MX-5 racers, while a new Clubman championship has been created that’s a little less intense. This is designed for racers on a tighter budget, with the calendar made up of single-day events to reduce costs, and is the perfect stepping stone for new drivers to MX-5s, who would perhaps be wary of entering such a competitive category. The cars may now be over 30 years old, but they continue to be as popular as ever, so expect this latest addition to the range of UK MX-5 series to be another hit. GINETTA GT ACADEMY It’s been a while since Ginetta has introduced a new car designed for the UK national racing…

DOCUMENTARY REVIEW BECOME WHO YOU ARE: 4 DRIVERS, 4 STORIES, 1 RACE The Daily Mail once published a review of a television series wonderfully executed by film critic Mark Kermode that read: “Mark’s problem is that he’s watched far too many movies”. There’s a non sequitur. That failed attempt to deride a movie reviewer for doing their job (and Kermode does his brilliantly) will always inspire a wry smile. But perhaps for the first time Autosport can sympathise with those words. Perhaps this writer has watched too many motorsport films. Or, maybe, yet another sleep-deprived night courtesy of selfish neighbours has taken its toll on the mood, because this review of Become Who You Are: 4 Drivers, 4 Stories, 1 Race isn’t favourable. Available to watch on Amazon Prime, this…

Honda mechanics busy themselves addressing the many mechanical issues that dogged the sole V12-powered RA272 entered on the manufacturer’s Formula 1 debut in the 1964 German Grand Prix at the Nurburgring. US driver Ronnie Bucknam, also a first-timer, just made it onto the grid in 22nd and last place with a new engine fitted (and reportedly after an extra session was laid on so the required minimum of five practice laps could be run), then put in a decent showing in the race before spinning at the Karussell and ending up 13th of 14 classified finishers. For classic 1960s Formula 1 DVDs head to dukevideo.com/F1 For more great photographs, visit motorsportimages.com…