Indholdsfortegnelse for 20/04/23 i Autosport

Now that we’re three grands prix into a Formula 1 season that has been dominated so far by Red Bull, the rise of Aston Martin is providing a focal point of interest. Fernando Alonso has starred to take a hat-trick of podiums – even if sometimes they’re belated – while Lance Stroll has raced well despite carrying an injury. It’s been a remarkable turnaround since the green team’s travails only 12 months ago, and it’s a story into which Alex Kalinauckas delves in our cover feature, starting on p16. Team chief Mike Krack is particularly interesting and, who knows, perhaps Aston could even challenge Red Bull. Elsewhere, the 2023 season is well and truly chiming in. Gary Watkins was at the Portimao 6 Hours to see Toyota leave Ferrari and…

FORMULA 1 Hong Kong billionaire Calvin Lo, whose fortune is largely attributed to an eponymous life insurance broker company, is weighing up backing one of the teams bidding for a Formula 1 entry beginning in 2026. Lo already has an unspecified involvement in Williams (below) following its 2020 sale to investment firm Dorilton Capital. But he now seems keen to join forces with one of the nascent entries. The most credible contenders are the Andretti bid formed in collaboration with Cadillac, plus the Hitech GP candidacy, but Lo has ruled out uniting with either. This suggests his most likely route is with the Panthera Team Asia project, co-founded by sportscar driver Michel Orts and former SMP Racing managing director Benjamin Durand. Lo told Reuters: “The financial part, believe it or…

TCR WORLD TOUR British touring car star Rob Huff has been named as one half of a formidable line-up by the Comtoyou Racing Audi squad to tackle the inaugural TCR World Tour. The 43-year-old Huff, who won the World Touring Car crown in 2012, is slated to join Belgian works Audi driver Frederic Vervisch at the wheel of Comtoyou-run RS3 LMS machinery in the World Tour, which kicks off at the Algarve circuit in Portugal next week. For its opening European phase the World Tour piggybacks rounds of TCR Europe, for which Comtoyou has assembled a four-car team including WTCC race winner Tom Coronel. “It’s a mega team,” said Huff, who was a race winner with the Zengo Cupra squad in last year’s final season of the World Touring Car…

WEC Manufacturers competing in the new LMGT3 category in the World Endurance Championship next year look set to be restricted to two cars each, with car makers competing in the Hypercar class given priority when it comes to the selection process. That’s the plan that has been outlined to teams and now confirmed by WEC boss Frederic Lequien. He explained that he couldn’t confirm it because the strategy still needs to be further discussed by the FIA Endurance Commission, then signed off by the World Motor Sport Council. That would mean Ferrari, Porsche, BMW and Lamborghini getting assured slots along with Chevrolet, via sister General Motors marque Cadillac, and Toyota, which will eventually replace the Lexus RC F with a car dubbed ‘GR GT3 Concept’. Next in the pecking order…

“I am not trying to find excuses at all,” Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur said after the recent Australian Grand Prix. “But if you ask me if the penalty is too light, I say yes.” Inevitable and surely just the start of blows against Red Bull’s punishment for breaching the 2021 Formula 1 cost cap. But while such predictable stories keep the media glare getting any hotter on Ferrari and other underachieving squads, it has a knock-on effect for the other big player in the cost-cap saga. That is, as the financial rules regulator, the FIA. And it’s a similar story for the governing body – it remains negatively in the headlines and subject to ongoing criticism from F1’s fanbase, particularly its more partisan elements. Because, really, there hasn’t been a…

Formula 1 moves on fast. A world champion can be at the top of their game one race, then, perhaps through a massive mistake or the fallout from a winter car change, things are suddenly very different. Eventually, the stopping point comes for all. Living legends step off the carousel, only their achievements remaining in memories. And these too fade. Kimi Raikkonen, not Fernando Alonso, now Sebastian Vettel. Except the former Aston Martin driver and four-time world champion with Red Bull has been in the headlines rather a lot since his farewell in Abu Dhabi at the end of 2022 (left). This mainly centred on the possibility of Aston calling Vettel up as a one-off replacement for the injured Lance Stroll at the start of the season. The team admitted…

An exercise in inch-perfect defending from Nicky Catsburg secured back-to-back GTE Am wins for Corvette Racing, after Ferrari’s Alessio Rovera came up just short in a thrilling pursuit. A 30kg weight handicap for Catsburg, Ben Keating and Nico Varrone aboard their C8.R helped Rovera to reduce a 9.2-second gap following their final pitstops with 31 laps to go to virtually nothing with seven minutes remaining. But despite Rovera’s best efforts to prise open the door, and his AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE Evo briefly nosing ahead on the outside of the Turn 5 hairpin, Catsburg kept his grip on a lead that Varrone had established during his double stint. The advantage at the flag over Rovera, Lilou Wadoux and Luis Perez Companc was a scant 0.26s. “Big hats-off to Alessio…

SUPER GT OKAYAMA (JPN) 16 APRIL ROUND 1/8 Nissan emerged with a 1-2 finish from one of the most chaotic Super GT races in recent memory as rain and lightning caused three stoppages at Okayama. The NISMO Z of Ronnie Quintarelli and Tsugio Matsuda led home the sister NDDP machine of Katsumasa Chiyo and Mitsunori Takaboshi as the two Michelin-shod cars reigned supreme in the constantly changing conditions. Although the start of the race was dry, the arrival of heavy rain forced the whole field to switch to wet-weather tyres before the pit window for driver changes opened. While the NDDP Nissan dropped down the order as Chiyo missed his chance to pit before the full-course yellow and then safety car was called, poleman and early leader Quintarelli was challenged…

MOTOGP AUSTIN (USA) 16 APRIL ROUND 3/21 There were many ironies to the MotoGP Americas Grand Prix weekend. The rider who won the main race started the round complaining that his manufacturer underutilised him for bike development. Said rider was ultimately the only runner from that marque to see the chequered flag and ended its grand prix win drought dating back to 2021. Alex Rins is no stranger to CoTA success – he has won at the Texan venue in all classes, and tallied up a maiden MotoGP success here in 2019. But his dominant ride in the 20-lap Grand Prix for his sixth career win is undoubtedly the sweetest. Honda’s 2023 had been woeful so far, but Rins was strong all weekend. Second on the grid in qualifying, he…

MINI CHALLENGE Mini Challenge Trophy graduates Oliver Meadows and Josh Porter are among a number of late confirmations on the JCW grid for this weekend’s season opener at Donington Park. Teenager Meadows made the jump from karting to cars in the Cooper class last year and was 12th in the standings, and now takes his next step up with Excelr8 Motorsport. “Last season was a big learning curve for me as I had to learn a completely different driving style with the switch into cars and into front-wheel drive,” he said. “I feel I was able to develop a lot as a driver, and I’m excited to keep learning and to push myself as I now move up into JCWs.” Porter, meanwhile, took a season out last year but has…

HISTORICS The sole surviving Alvis Grand Prix car has made its first public appearance after being restored, having been abandoned in a Warwickshire scrapyard, and an outing at Brooklands is now planned in 2027 to celebrate its centenary. The innovative car pioneered the use of front-wheel-drive technology when it emerged on the racing scene in 1927. It was powered by a 1.5-litre supercharged engine and had a longitudinally mounted gearbox, resulting in the car’s extended length. But it did not prove particularly reliable, and both entries to that year’s British Grand Prix did not ultimately make the start. Chassis #2 (the restored car) then led the 200-mile race at Brooklands later in 1927 with George Duller at the wheel but retired with engine woes. It was subsequently discarded and never…

BRITISH HILLCLIMB Reigning British Hillclimb champion Wallace Menzies says this year’s championship, which gets under way this weekend, could be the most competitive season ever. The Scot will bid for a fourth straight title in his Gould GR59M as another season of top-level hillclimbing opens at Prescott. The leading contenders will contest 30 top-12 run-offs across 14 events at 10 venues, on a schedule that takes them from Northern Ireland to the Channel Islands. As last year, two of Menzies’s biggest rivals are both former champions. Alex Summers, the 2022 runner-up, is back in his IndyCar-powered DJ Firestorm, despite recently completing his P4t hillclimb car. And Scott Moran has ambitions for a record-breaking seventh crown in the Gould GR59 he shares with Graham Wynn. “Last year was absolutely fantastic and…

CIRCUIT RALLYING Mark Kelly and Neil Colman made it two wins in a row as the Circuit Rally Championship concluded with the SMC Stages Anglesey on Sunday. Kelly’s Skoda Fabia R5 took control of the event from the very start in damp and slippery conditions and was fastest on all eight stages at the Welsh race track. Into second place with improving pace through the afternoon came the Ford Fiesta Rally2 of former British GT racer Michael Igoe and Will Atkins, who were 10 seconds up at the finish on rallycross ace Ollie O’Donovan and Ashleigh Morris in their Hyundai i20 R5. Second place points were enough to secure the championship runner-up slot behind John Griffiths for O’Donovan after the eighth and final round of the series. “The car has…

CLUB ENDURO Will Stacey (Lotus Elise S2) ROADSPORTS Mark Grice/William Beech (SEAT Cupra) SPORTS 1000 Race 1 Dan Clowes (Mittell MC-53) Races 2 & 3 Ryan Yarrow (Spire GT3, below) MX-5 CUP Race 1 Oak Richardson Race 2 Jordan Johnson Race 3 Ben Hancy TYPE R TROPHY Races 1 & 2 Joe Jessup MA7DA Races 1, 2 & 3 Jonathan Lisseter SPORT SPECIALS Races 1 & 2 Andy Hiley (Chronos HR1S) HISTORIC 750 FORMULA Races 1 & 2 John Village (Village V2) For full results visit: 750mc.co.uk…

BRANDS HATCH MAZDA MX-5 CHAMPIONSHIP Races 1, 2 & 3 Steve Foden MAZDA MX-5 SUPERCUP Races 1 & 2 Aidan Hills Race 3 James Blake-Baldwin MG METRO CUP Races 1 & 2 Mike Williams BMW COMPACT CUP Races 1 & 2 Guy Davis FUN CUP ENDURANCE Team Olympian (Kristian Rose/Chris Dovell/Riley Phillips) AUDI TT CUP Race 1 Andrew Dyer Race 2 Ross Makar MAZDA MX-5 CLUBMAN Race 1 Jordan Pimley Race 2 Matt Fletcher EVOLUTION TROPHY Race 1 Nick Gwinnett (Renault Clio 172) Race 2 Adam Marshall (VW Golf GTI) CADWELL PARK 2CVs Races 1 & 2 Kris Tovey JUNIOR SALOONS Race 1 Oskar Dix Race 2 Daire Flock CNC HEADS SPORTS/SALOONS Races 1 & 2 Andrew Southcott (MG Midget) TRACK ATTACK RACE CLUB Races 1 & 2 Andrew Neal…

SILVERSTONE UNITED FORMULA FORD Races 1 & 2 Lucas Romanek (Van Diemen JL13) CLUBMANS SPORTS PROTOTYPES Races 1, 2 & 3 James Clarke (Phantom PR22) SPORTS 2000 - DURATEC Races 1 & 2 Michael Gibbins (MCR S2n) SPORTS 2000 - HISTORIC Races 1 & 2 William Schryver (Royale RP37) BERNIE’S OUTLAW V8s/HISTORIC OUTLAWS Races 1 & 2 Jason Clegg (TVR Tuscan) ENDUROKA Sukaru Racing (Chris Hilson/Peter Dignan/Tristan Judge) MSVT TRACKDAY CHAMPIONSHIP Steve Summers (Lotus Elise S1) MSVT TRACKDAY TROPHY Charlie Palk/Adrian Pottinger (Renault Clio) DONINGTON PARK 7 RACE SERIES - 420R Race 1 Gary Smith Race 2 Jonathan Mitchell Race 3 Stephen Lyall 7 RACE SERIES - 1600 Races 1 & 2 Ben Winrow Race 3 Stephen Clark MINI MIGLIA Race 1 Kane Astin Race 2 Aaron Smith MINI SE7EN…

OBITUARY Craig Breen will be remembered as one of rallying’s most-loved characters and arguably among the best drivers to never win a World Rally Championship event. The Irishman succumbed to injuries sustained when his factory Hyundai i20 N went off an asphalt road during testing last Thursday in Croatia, ahead of this weekend’s WRC round in the country. He was 33. Co-driver James Fulton was unharmed in the crash. The accident has left the motorsport fraternity stunned. Breen was one of the true characters, a relatable figure in an age where PR-trained drivers have become wooden. Few have worn their heart on their sleeve to the extent that he did. He broke down in tears of joy when he secured podiums, and equally he cried when things went wrong. It…

HYPERCAR Daniil Kvyat has joined Lamborghini for the Italian manufacturer’s LMDh attack on the World Endurance Championship and IMSA SportsCar Championship next year. The ex-Toro Rosso and Red Bull Formula 1 driver is the fourth signing for what has now been confirmed will be a six-strong squad at the Iron Lynx factory team. Kvyat has been brought into the Lamborghini fold after joining Iron Lynx sister team Prema for his maiden season of sportscar racing in the LMP2 class of the WEC this year. The 28-year-old revealed that the Lamborghini deal was always part of the discussions with Prema, which will mastermind the running of the Iron Lynx prototypes across the WEC and IMSA. “It was a bit of a chain, it was all connected,” he said. “Lamborghini was looking…

BTCC Reigning champion Tom Ingram and the dismal UK spring were the ‘winners’ from last week’s British Touring Car Championship curtain-raising launch-day test at the Brands Hatch Indy circuit. Rain washed out a significant proportion of running, meaning most representative times were set in a window of opportunity late in the morning. Just before lunch, a one-off effort from Ingram and his Excelr8 Motorsport Hyundai i30 N pipped three-time champion Ash Sutton’s Motorbase Performance-run Ford Focus. Sutton was more consistent though, with his fastest six laps quicker than Ingram’s second best. The Fords looked strong across the board, with Motorbase newcomer Dan Rowbottom and Dan Cammish sandwiching the Speedworks Toyota of Rory Butcher. A red flag scuppered Jake Hill when he got onto new tyres in the morning, but his…

WORLD RALLYCROSS Rally legend Sebastien Loeb is to contest his first full World Rallycross Championship season in five years at the wheel of an electric Lancia Delta. The nine-time World Rally champion will join Guerlain Chicherit to form the new Special One Racing team, which plans to field two Delta Evo-e cars in 2023. The car has been designed and developed by Chicherit’s own GCK Motorsport team, which first revealed plans in 2021 to revive the Lancia Delta that became one of the most revered cars of the World Rally Championship during the late 1980s and early 1990s. The Evo-e, powered by two 250kW motors, made its debut at the Nurburgring last year. “I’m from a generation that was brought up seeing wins by Lancia Deltas in rally racing, so…

The leafy glades of Imola’s public park play host this weekend to the opening round of the 2023 Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine, and the two races – one on Saturday, one on Sunday – will properly capture the attention of single-seater aficionados and talent spotters. Every now and then a young driver comes along surrounded by a massive buzz: think Max Verstappen in the 2014 Formula 3 European Championship; Mika Hakkinen in British F3 in 1990; or a certain Ayrton Senna da Silva in the early 1980s. And now we have one again. Like Verstappen, Andrea Kimi Antonelli is 16 years old as he embarks upon his maiden pan-European championship in cars. Unlike Verstappen, who did not become a Red Bull Junior until the middle of his F3…

“I was pretty heartbroken in Turn 3 with a couple of laps to go. I picked up a front-right lock defending from Carlos and thought I threw away the podium. It would have been hard to sleep with tonight…” Formula 1 drivers and their priorities, right? That’s Lance Stroll looking back at the events of the controversial third standing start at the 2023 Australian Grand Prix, where he went off battling Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and slid into the gravel and muddy escape road at the end of the Melbourne track’s second straight. He got his position back and an eventual fourth-place result thanks to the various FIA decisions surrounding the final restart order and Sainz’s penalty for nerfing into Fernando Alonso in the other Aston Martin. And so, Stroll’s thoughts…

United Autosports finished 1-2 in LMP2, but that barely tells the story of a race that with less than two hours to go had eight cars split by just over 20 seconds. Oliver Jarvis, Josh Pierson and Giedo van der Garde beat the sister ORECA-Gibson 07 of Phil Hanson, Freddie Lubin and Ben Hanley to make up for their car’s freak Sebring retirement as Jarvis used all his experience to defy radio problems in his closing double stint. Van der Garde was due to see out the final three stints after an impressive opening double had established the car in the lead from fifth on the grid, but he was brought back in after only one. “We had no communication, they thought it was my helmet,” explained the Dutchman, who…

The wettest March since 1981, and little sign of abatement over the subsequent fortnight, left its own legacy as the Duke of Richmond and Gordon welcomed Goodwood Road Racing Club subscribers and guests to celebrate the landmark 80th Members Meeting and the Motor Circuit’s 75th anniversary. Motorhomes being towed in to the competitors’ campsite by tractors on Friday was a novelty, and four-wheel-drivers lugging vehicles out of the quagmires within car parks presented further logistical nightmares. Yet once inside there was an almost miraculous turnaround. The trackside daffodils may have been beaten up by gales, but the atmosphere changed with high-revving Cosworth V12 engines as superstar racecar architect Gordon Murray’s brand new T.33 Spider roadster and its stablemates opened the action on both days. Two sensational turbocharged BMW-engined Brabham…

Aston Martin Speed Model ‘Red Dragon’ This Ulster evolution, conceived for Richard Seaman to contest the 1936 RAC Tourist Trophy race at Ards, achieved more with Eddie Hertzenberger, contesting the 1937 Mille Miglia and Le Mans. Welshman Dudley Folland acquired it post-war, nicknaming it Red Dragon. Third in the 1948 Paris 12 Hours at Montlhery, co-driver Ian Connell crashed it while leading the Spa 24 Hours. Folland raced it here in 1949. Oakland-Romano Intrepid young American John Romano claimed a $2000 purse for winning the 1916 Pikes Peak hillclimb in Colorado with a unique special powered by a Curtiss OX-5 V8 aero engine. British craftsman Mick Sharpe built this charismatic tribute on an Oakland chassis, then sold it to vintage ace James Baxter of Tip Top Engineering. Overgeared, Baxter didn’t…

NASCAR CUP SERIES MARTINSVILLE (USA) 16 APRIL ROUND 9/36 Back-to-back late-race cautions following a round of green-flag pitstops flipped strategy and helped Kyle Larson emerge as the surprise winner at Martinsville. Until well into the third stage, the Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet star had not been a contender for the win, but he moved into the top five by staying out when most others pitted under caution on lap 305 of 400. Larson did pit under another caution on lap 343, but this time he took on only two new tyres. He lined up fifth on a restart, while the top four had elected not to pit. After a multiple-lap duel with leader Joey Logano, Larson cleared for the lead with 29 laps remaining and never looked back, driving away to…

HISTORICS Eight Lotus Elans are set to battle with a pair of TVRs among a diverse entry for this weekend’s revived Autosport 3 Hours race at Snetterton. Lotus has enjoyed success in the historic contest, with Formula 1 world champion Jim Clark winning the race in both Elite (1959) and 23B (1963) machinery, adding to an earlier Elite victory for John Lawry (1958). Now, in the manufacturer’s 75th anniversary year, further glory could follow in the Historic Sports Car Club’s pre-’66 GT enduro, which is returning for the first time since 2015. Among the Elan clan are soloists including former Historic Formula Ford frontrunner Horatio Fitz-Simon, who has competed in an Elan in the States, and ex-F3 racer Stephen Shanly, while the combinations of Nigel Greensall and Ben Snee, Martin…

UNITED FF1600 Reigning Formula 1 Esports champion Lucas Blakeley shone on his return to Formula Ford competition at Silverstone last weekend with leading team Kevin Mills Racing. The 21-year-old, who famously defeated Sebastian Vettel in a heat at the 2022 Race of Champions, held his own in United FFord against experienced counterparts, with two-time Walter Hayes Trophy winner Michael Moyers only edging him to pole in the final seconds of qualifying. Blakeley, who competed in two rounds of Scottish FF1600 last year in a Graham Brunton Racing-owned Ray, quickly dapted to the KMR Spectrum, leading all but two laps of the opening contest before finishing third. His challenge was cut short in race two when a nudge from behind caused him to crash into the pitwall, but he was nonetheless…

BRITISH HILLCLIMB The fastest saloon and sportscars will have their own top-10 run-offs at three events in the British Hillclimb Championship this year. Building on the success of trial events last season, the ‘BHC Tin-Top Top 10’ will be held at Harewood (1-2 July), Shelsley Walsh (12-13 August) and Loton Park (23-24 September). The 10 fastest eligible competitors from each of the timed class runs will qualify for the run-off, giving six run-offs in total. Points will be scored in each run-off, with 10 for the fastest time down to one point. Series coordinator Tim Wilson said: “Spectators will see some of the fastest saloon and sportscars battling for points at three iconic venues. I’m sure that it will be a great spectacle and will hopefully develop into something bigger…

HALE EXCLUDED AT CROFT Mitchell Hale, the 2010 Formula Renault BARC runner-up, made a brief return to racing last weekend at Croft in the Type R Trophy. But overaggressive on-track driving meant a trip to the clerk’s office, before his off-track actions escalated the situation. He was excluded from the event and had his licence suspended for failing to adhere to Motorsport UK ‘Race with Respect’ guidelines. The matter has been referred to Motorsport UK. CREW CHIEF TURNS RACER American John Botner, a crew chief on the F-35 fighter jets at RAF Lakenheath, made his car racing debut in a Storm in the Formula Vee rounds at Donington Park earlier this month. Engine woes prevented him from contesting the opener but he opted to start race two. “I couldn’t get…

BRANDS HATCH BRSCC 15-16 APRIL Steve Foden admitted that his weekend “could not have gone any better” after he claimed a superb hat-trick of wins in three action-packed Mazda MX-5 Championship races at Brands Hatch. Foden was beaten to pole for race one by Adam Sparrow, but he was able to grab an immediate lead from the outside of the front row and hold the place thereafter. Sparrow initially kept pace with Foden, but soon dropped back into the clutches of rising teenage star Ted Bradbury, who in turn had his mirrors full of five other cars. A thrilling battle for the runner-up spot ensued, but Sparrow did just enough to resist the pressure and claim the position. A similar situation developed in the second contest until a late safety-car…

SILVERSTONE MSVR 15-16 APRIL Lucas Romanek fought back from a qualifying crash to take two wins and the Jim Walsh Trophy in the United Formula Ford Championship at Silverstone. A collision with Jacob Tofts, who had slowed at Woodcote to avoid another car, left Romanek 10th on the grid for the opening contest, his Van Diemen JL13 having suffered a damaged upright. But the Oldfield Motorsport driver made swift progress to move up to fifth on the opening lap and was soon into third. He then took second away from Michael Moyers, who had started from pole in his Medina Mk2, before challenging impressive Esports convert Lucas Blakeley for the lead. Romanek briefly slipped to third behind Elliott Budzinski, but quickly reclaimed the position and forced Blakeley to defend into…

MONDELLO PARK MPSC 15-16 APRIL Reigning Fiesta Zetec rookie champion James Byrne drove like a seasoned campaigner in the 2023 opener at Mondello Park. He moved ahead of poleman Derek Graham by lap two and held off an initial challenge from Keith Dawson, and then Michael Barrable in the closing stages. In the second race, with the top six reversed on the grid, Alan Dawson held off Sean McGovern for the win, with Graham completing the podium. Byrne was sixth. Reuben Kernohan took the opening Junior Mini Challenge victory on his car racing debut, holding off Mondello Scholarship winner Bobby Joe McFall to the flag. Holly Dunnion fell back at the start, but charged to third, matching the leading duo’s pace. Later, Kernohan won again, with a late-race restart nearly…

PORSCHE CARRERA CUP GB There have been some incredibly close Porsche Carrera Cup GB title battles over the years and the 2023 contest could be another to add to that list. There is certainly no shortage of possible contenders. Proven race winners Adam Smalley, Gus Burton and Theo Edgerton are all continuing, while Porsche Sprint Challenge Southern Europe champion Robert de Haan and Ginetta GT4 Supercup title winner James Kellett will also be ones to watch. Add in reigning Pro-Am champion – and overall winner of the Brands Hatch finale – Charles Rainford and Sprint Challenge GB conqueror Harry Foster, and it’s an intriguing mix of drivers set to be fighting at the front. Of them all, it’s perhaps Smalley under the most pressure to land the title. Last season’s…

WEC Toyota is calling for procedural changes in the World Endurance Championship after one of its cars lost the chance of a result in last weekend’s Portimao 6 Hours when an official series sensor failed. The team is claiming that it is unfair that a car is delayed for a failure outside of the squad’s control. The #7 Toyota GR010 HYBRID shared by Kamui Kobayashi, Mike Conway and Jose Maria Lopez was forced to make an 11-minute pitstop early in the second hour in Portugal after the FIA-mandated torque sensor in the left-rear driveshaft stopped working. The Japanese manufacturer revealed that it had been denied permission to continue running using the defaults in place that would have allowed power delivery – which is central to the Hypercar category – to…

FORMULA E Aston Martin and McLaren Formula 1 reserve Felipe Drugovich will sample Formula E machinery for the first time in next week’s Berlin rookie test. The reigning F2 champion (below), who was on the verge of making his grand prix debut in Bahrain before Lance Stroll’s return from injury, will test with Maserati MSG alongside FIA F3 rookie Hugh Barter. Also confirmed for the test is 2022 Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year winner Luke Browning, who will drive for McLaren along with World Endurance Championship driver Charlie Eastwood. Browning’s fellow F3 racer Jonny Edgar, meanwhile, joins Jack Aitken at Envision Racing. Mahindra will run three drivers, including reserve Jehan Daruvala, sim and development driver Jordan King and ex-F1 driver Roberto Merhi. Others to test are…

WEC Interlagos and Austin are looking increasingly likely to rejoin the World Endurance Championship calendar next year. The venues, which last hosted rounds in 2014 and 2020 respectively, appear set to be on the expanded 2024 calendar when it is announced at the Le Mans 24 Hours in June. The WEC is scheduled to return to its traditional eight races next year following its post-COVID reduction in rounds. Sources have indicated that the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace at Interlagos (above) is on course to take the place of this year’s Algarve fixture, while Austin’s Circuit of The Americas would replace Sebring as the all-important US round. There has been no confirmation from the WEC on these revived races for now. Series boss Frederic Lequien would only say at last weekend’s…

For most people fortunate enough to attend the 2022 and 2023 editions of the Australian Grand Prix, the two events appeared very similar. Dominant winners in the forms of Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen, their glory secured in front of packed grandstands and a party atmosphere banishing the hideous pandemic memories in Melbourne. Although Leclerc and his Ferrari squad had little to celebrate this time around, their negative 12-month turnaround was nothing compared to the positive progress secured by Aston Martin in the opposite direction. Earlier this month, behind Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso secured a hat-trick of third-place finishes, with Lance Stroll eventually classified fourth in the other AMR23. Even in Friday practice, Autosport had been keeping an eye on the green machines thrashing around Albert Park. They…

There was muted celebration, talk of steps taken and progress made, even gaps closed. But for all the other Hypercar class manufacturers there was still the dawning realisation last weekend that Toyota remains out of sight in the World Endurance Championship. The Japanese manufacturer again dominated on the Algarve on Sunday, even if the winning GR010 HYBRID finished a single lap clear rather than the two laps by which the marque triumphed at Sebring last month, and it failed to get one of its two cars to the finish cleanly. Sebastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa took victory in the Portimao 6 Hours with ease. The only real hiccup for the reigning WEC champions was Buemi’s slow start – “I was too conservative,” he said – that left his…

Kyle Kirkwood, IndyCar’s latest winner, is an honest young man. That sometimes means he sounds cocky because he knows how good he is, but he has the stats to back that up. In the three stages – USF2000, Indy Pro 2000 and Indy Lights – of the Road To Indy, as it was known, he won all three titles and amassed 31 wins in 50 races. It seemed that the world was at his feet. But Michael Andretti, whose team ran him to the Lights title, had no room in his IndyCar squad to accommodate Kirkwood for 2022, and so he found himself at AJ Foyt Racing, rowing along a car that was well off the pace. Frequently he pushed too hard and endured way too many incidents. “That’s completely…

Forty years after Nelson Piquet won three grands prix and his second world championship, driving 1500cc Brabham-BMW BT52s (the first title for a turbocharged car), two BT52Bs sent by team chief and F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone turned the clocks back 40 years to F1’s most powerful era. Claims that Piquet broke a minute testing at Goodwood may not be apocryphal: I timed him at 63s in a Cosworth DFV-powered BT49! For team-mate Riccardo Patrese, being reunited with his South African GP winner and Brabham personnel including team manager Herbie Blash brought tears to his eyes. “I felt comfortable immediately in my driving position and my first time at the circuit. It was most important that I could drive [the car] again at such a beautiful place,” said one of F1’s…

IMSA SPORTSCAR LONG BEACH (USA) 15 APRIL ROUND 3/11 Porsche scored a historic maiden victory for its 963 at Long Beach with Nick Tandy and Mathieu Jaminet, which owed as much to disasters befalling the dominant Acuras as it did the strategic gamble that led to victory. The Penske-run cars really struggled for pace on the fabled Californian street track, with Tandy qualifying down in sixth and Felipe Nasr starting last in the eight-car GTP class. Ahead of the race, the team surmised that its only chance was to run on a single set of Michelin tyres for the duration of the 100-minute race. The opposition, however, seemed on a mission to eliminate itself. Sebastien Bourdais ended Chip Ganassi Racing’s day at the first corner when he spun his Cadillac…

EUROPEAN GT4 A collection of successful drivers from the UK national motorsport scene will race on the continent this season in European GT4, starting at Monza this weekend. Leading Ginetta Junior squad Elite Motorsport had already announced that it would be fielding two new McLaren Artura GT4s in the European series this year, and has now revealed that Josh Rattican and Tom Emson will share one car, and Jack Mitchell and Michael Crees the other. Former Ginetta GT4 Supercup drivers Rattican and Emson have long been part of the Elite set-up, Emson finishing runner-up in the category’s final season last year, while Rattican only contested a couple of rounds after securing second in 2021. “Elite have supported me and given me great opportunities since my first test with them in…

LEGENDS Five-time Legends champion John Mickel escaped serious injury in a frightening series of rolls at Cadwell Park last weekend. Mickel was attempting to bumpdraft his way past a rival along the Park Straight on the second lap of the fifth Legends race when there was slight contact that sent him onto the grass and pitched him into a barrel roll. The race was red-flagged and Mickel was taken to hospital, but avoided any major injuries. He was still being kept in for observation when Autosport closed for press on Tuesday, although he was optimistic of being released later that day. “They kept me in for two nights because I had a blunt force trauma to my chest,” explained Mickel. “I just clipped a back wheel, the car turned and…

MOTORSPORT UK Motorsport UK has launched a new internet video portal that, in collaboration with national racing clubs and championships, will showcase nearly 175 livestreams this year. Motorsport UK TV has been launched by the governing body to offer content to new and existing members and make greater use of the video medium. As well as the livestreams, it will feature training guides, exclusive interviews and behind-the-scenes footage. “Motorsport UK TV is an exciting new internet platform that will bring our community even closer to every aspect of motorsport via the most dynamic media out there; video,” said Motorsport UK CEO Hugh Chambers. “We are thrilled to launch this breakthrough offering, which we hope will inspire and educate both existing and new motorsport fans. We think this will be a…

CROFT 750MC 15-16 APRIL Will Stacey came out on top in a two-hour Club Enduro thriller that concluded an exciting 750 Motor Club event at Croft last weekend. Stacey’s Lotus Elise blew a head gasket in qualifying, which meant he started down in 11th, but joined a six-car squabble for the lead in the early stages as various shapes and sizes of car diced for position. It took until lap 14 for him to take the lead away from Dylan Brychta’s Audi TT, which had grabbed the top spot on the opening lap when it passed poleman Carl Swift (Volkswagen Golf), and Mark Grice (SEAT Cupra) fell off the circuit at Sunny. Joel Oswick (BMW M4) and Adam Bessell (Ginetta G20) were also involved in the fascinating lead battle. During…

CADWELL PARK BARC 15-16 APRIL There was little to split Kris Tovey and Nick Crispin in the first 2CV race at Cadwell Park last weekend as the season began in entertaining style. Crispin led until lap four of eight, when Tovey took charge, before Sandro Proietti split the pair a couple of laps later. But, as Proietti lost ground with a grassy exit from Barn, Crispin was back in front with a lap to go, taking the outside line through Chris Curve. At this stage, it was still any one from four but, after Crispin ran wide onto the Mountain, Tovey sealed it into Hall Bends, with Crispin second and David O’Keeffe holding off Proietti for third. Tovey led from Coppice on the opening lap of race two and left…

DONINGTON PARK MSVR 15-16 APRIL There was a ‘best of British’ feeling at Donington Park as a bevy of Caterhams, Minis and a dozen fabulous Bentleys – including a rare Speed Six – treated the crowd to a complement of thrills. Stephen Lyall was intent on matching his father Alastair’s famous win here in 1977, when the circuit reopened, and took pole for the 7 Race Series 420Rs. But, as is so often the case in Caterham racing, a lead is seldom long lived and Lyall immediately came under pressure from Mark Stansfield, Jonathan Mitchell and Andy McMillan. Sensing the threat from the pack, Stansfield and Lyall tried to break free, only for McMillan to collect the polesitter, eventually forcing an early retirement for both. Further back, Mark Farmer had…

KNOCKHILL KMSC 15-16 APRIL Last year’s Scottish Legends title contenders Stewart Black and Ryan McLeish took centre stage as the 2023 season kicked off in spectacular fashion across two days of action at Knockhill last weekend. Each driver took three wins from the six races, with Black winning both finals, but it was McLeish who left the Fife circuit with the points lead. There was, however, a distinct feeling of cobwebs being blown away on Saturday, with both heats and the final red-flagged due to incidents. Between those stoppages the racing was excellent, and Black eased away to victory in the opening heat before trailing McLeish in the second. After missing out on victory in the first final, McLeish had his revenge on Sunday when he dominated both heats, while…

BOOK REVIEW SURVIVING TO DRIVE: A YEAR INSIDE FORMULA 1 Guenther Steiner RRP £20 “We look like a bunch of wankers.” It’s fair to say that a star was born when Guenther Steiner uttered words to that effect on an early season of Drive to Survive. Just as much as the Netflix documentary has propelled Formula 1 into the limelight and helped it amass a new following, so too it has done the same for the Haas F1 team principal. T-shirts emblazoned with his face and catchphrases have cropped up across the globe on F1’s travels, and the Italian is almost as much of a celebrity as some of the drivers. It was perhaps inevitable, then, that he has published a book, which is aptly titled Surviving to Drive: A…

Rob Bell doesn’t care a jot that the Nurburgring Grand Prix circuit is the poor relation to the 12.944-mile Nordschleife. Victory there on his GT racing debut launched the Briton’s sportscar career, and it has been the scene of several triumphs for Bell down the years. “Every time I go there, I just feel comfortable,” says the McLaren factory driver, who from his first four visits scored three Le Mans Series class wins. Bell had never been to the Nurburgring or raced a sportscar before his call-up for the 2005 LMS round to drive a Cirtek-run Aston Martin DBR9 GT1. He admits that a “white lie” – that he had sportscar experience from instructing in Porsches at Bedford Autodrome – helped the ex-Formula Renault V6 racer into the seat alongside…