(Motorsport) Williams Racing founder Sir Frank Williams has passed away at the age of 79. He leaves behind a legacy of one of F1’s most successful and recognizable teams, winning 16 World Championships, seven drivers titles and nine constructors championships’ with a total of 114 race wins in the 1980’s and 1990’s. The longest serving team boss in Formula 1 history continued in his role even after a car crash in 1986 left him tetraplegic. 

A statement released by the Williams team said “It is with great sadness that on behalf of the Williams family, the team can confirm the death of Sir Frank Williams CBE, Founder and Former Team Principal of Williams Racing, at the age of 79.

"After being admitted into hospital on Friday, Sir Frank passed away peacefully this morning surrounded by his family. Today we pay tribute to our much loved and inspirational figurehead.

"Frank will be sorely missed. We request that all friends and colleagues respect the Williams family's wishes for privacy at this time."

From starting Williams Racing in an empty carpet warehouse to becoming one of the most iconic F1 teams, Sir Frank Williams had that rare combination of determination and courage which saw him continue his career as Formula 1 team boss despite being on a wheelchair. He remained in the role for 34 years until Williams was sold to an American investment group for £136million in August 2020.

His obsession with cars began when he rode a Jaguar XK150 which motivated the then 24 year old Frank Williams to launch his own team ‘Frank Williams Racing Cars’. Within a span of four years they were competing in Formula 2 with his flatmate and friend Piers Courage behind the wheel of the car. The racing team graduated to Formula 1 in 1969 in a second hand Brabham. However, Courage died in a car crash in the 1970 Dutch Grand Prix, resulting in a heartbroken Frank Williams selling 60% of his team to Walter Wolf. 

However, Frank Williams was not happy with having a limited say in his racing team after the sale and he eventually severed ties with the Canadian businessman to partner with a young engineer named Patrick Head in a carpet shop in Didcot, Oxfordshire. The pair were funded by the Albilad hotel chain, owned by Mohammed Bin Laden (Osama Bin Laden’s father) and the Williams team soon became a powerhouse with Australian driver Alan Jones at the wheel.

The team achieved its first pole position in the 1979 British Grand Prix and took a win the next day with Clay Regazzoni at the wheel. Williams won their first title the following year and won back-to-back Constructors Championships a few years later. Despite suffering a spinal fracture that left him tetraplegic in 1986, Frank Williams was back as team boss just nine months later and won five Drivers Championships and Seven Constructors Championships in the following years. He was knighted in 1999 and despite his team never seeing the levels of success from the 1980’s and 90’s, Williams will always remain a true icon of motorsport.

F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali paid tribute to Williams, saying: "He was a true giant of our sport that overcame the most difficult of challenges in life and battled every day to win on and off the track. We have lost a much loved and respected member of the F1 family and he will be hugely missed.

"His incredible achievements and personality will be etched on our sport forever. My thoughts are with all the Williams family and friends at this sad time."

Former racing driver Damon Hill, who won the 1996 Championship in a Williams car said “Frank had a passion for cars, for racing. There was nothing else he was really interested in doing," said Hill. "He was just remarkable in every respect.

"He gave us the best equipment, him and Sir Patrick (Head). Everyone who worked at Williams gave all their drivers everything they need to fight for championships, and that's all he wanted to do.

"His record will stand for a very long time. As a team founder, there won't be another one like him again."

Also read: Formula 1 renews deal with Spanish Grand Prix until 2026

(Motorsport) The Spanish Grand Prix held at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya will remain in the Formula 1 calendar for the foreseeable future after a deal was agreed until 2026. The race track will also be upgraded along with the facilities in time for next year’s Grand Prix which will be held on 22nd May as a part of the deal.

F1 President and CEO Stefano Domenicali said: “We are delighted to announce this deal with Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. I want to thank the promoter and the authorities for their enthusiasm and commitment to keeping Formula 1 in Barcelona, with improvements that will be made to the track and facilities, and continuing our long history together. The teams and drivers always look forward to racing at the circuit and visiting Barcelona, and the Spanish fans will continue to see their national heroes, Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz up close.”

The Spanish GP will be the sixth race in the 23-Grand Prix Formula 1 calendar and the new contract contains a commitment that the track will become “a model and world benchmark of sustainability” as F1 gears towards a net-zero carbon goal by 2030. MotoGP has also renewed it’s agreement with the circuit until 2026 and at least two or more F1 events will be held at the venue between 2023-2026.  Earlier this year, the Spanish Grand Prix saw Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton finish first ahead of rival Max Verstappen 

Roger Torrent, the Catalan minister of business and labour and Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya  President said: “We welcome the renewal of this contract, which includes a mutual commitment clause to help us turn Circuit Barcelona-Catalunya into a model and world benchmark of sustainability applied to this type of facilities. We want the circuit to become an exponent of the green transformation and the adaptation of infrastructures to the demands of the climate emergency.”

The track has been a regular feature in the Formula 1 calendar since it opened in 1991 but the outdated facilities needed improving in order to ensure that it remains as a go-to venue, especially with new tracks in contention at the likes of Miami, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Apart from the sport, the circuit is also extensively used for testing and the Catalan government has previously said that hosting a race at the venue is worth €200million (£169million) to the local economy. Therefore a deal with Formula 1 would not only ensure the obligations to improve its facilities will be met but also provide a financial boost for the local economy.

Also read: Lewis Hamilton wins Qatar GP and reduces Verstappen’s lead to eight points

(Motorsport) Having already won the Brazilian GP, seven time World Champion Lewis Hamilton also secured first place at the inaugural Qatar GP at the Losail International Circuit, thereby ensuring that the title race is well and truly alive by reducing the points gap from Verstappen to eight. The British racing driver had a dominant weekend throughout and his victory was all but guaranteed when Verstappen incurred a five place grid penalty for a yellow flag infringement during qualifications. With just two races to go in Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi, the title race can go right down to the wire but the momentum is with Hamilton who has the experience and form to become the first driver to win eight World Championships, breaking Michael Schumacher’s record.

Despite incurring a five place grid penalty less than two hours before lights out, Max Verstappen had a damage control strategy and recovered his grid position of 2nd place in the first five laps. However, Lewis Hamilton was simply too fast and efficient for the Dutchman who was forced to settle for the fastest lap point. Both Red Bull and Verstappen will be extremely concerned with such a dramatic change in fortunes as they were 21 points ahead of Hamilton and Mercedes in the Drivers Standings eight days ago and that lead has been reduced to eight points at such a crucial juncture. They will look to make amends at the Saudi GP on December 5th and Abu Dhabi GP on December 12th as 52 points are still up for grabs.

The battle was not just fought for the first two positions in Qatar as the final position was being contested by the second cars of Mercedes, Red Bull and also surprisingly Alonso’s Alpine. Bottas had a bad start to his race, having already incurred a three place grid penalty for not slowing down on yellow during Q3 of qualification and despite making up the grid positions, the Finn’s Mercedes was then subjected to a punctured tyre and was eventually forced to retire due to car damage, a costly DNF for Mercedes as they hope to retain the Constructors Championship. 

Red Bull’s Sergio Perez adopted a two-stop strategy but was simply out of laps in the end to catch up with Alonso who adopted a one-stop strategy. The Spaniard had a bit of luck on his side as he originally qualified in 5th position but penalties to Verstappen and Bottas meant he began the race in third position and was briefly second after overtaking Pierre Gasly. This was Alonso’s 98th podium finish, his first since 2014 when he raced for Ferrari and the 40 year old had much to celebrate about as his team mate Esteban Ocon finished 5th, giving Alpine a major boost in the Constructors Standings, especially considering that Alpha Tauri failed to score any points.

Formula 1’s next race will be held in Saudi Arabia at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit on Sunday, 5th December at 11 pm IST.

Also read: Guanyu Zhou becomes first Chinese driver to feature in Formula 1, will partner Bottas at Alfa Romeo for 2022 season

Coimbatore, Nov 20 (Motor Sports news): Amir Sayed of Kerala won his first race in the Formula LGB4 class in the second round of the 24th JK Tyre FMSCI National racing championship at the Kari Motor Speedway in Chettipalayam near here on Saturday.

It wasn’t easy for the youngster from Kottayam. He had to battle hard right through before stamping his class. Starting fourth on the grid, he got off to a great start. Pole sitter Arya Singh was right up there and so was Sandeep Kumar and Tijil Rao (all from Dark Don). The safety car, which came out thrice, further added to his pressure, but he withstood it all to take the checkered flag ahead of Tijil and Sandeep.

Anish Damodara Shetty of Hubli ruled the roost in the JK Tyre presents Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup after having dominated the practice and the qualifying sessions under the morning skies.

For MSport’s Ruhaan Alva of Bengaluru, it was another memorable day as he finished on top of the podium in the opening race of the JK Tyre Novice Cup. The 15-year-old, who started on pole, cracked into the lead straight away before the race was red-flagged in the very first lap. He did not allow that to bother him and kept a cool head, as he always does, to win the race from lights to flag.

Jaden R Pariat of Guwahati made it extra special for team MSport finishing a creditable second. Chennai’s Aadithya Parasuram of Hasten Performance had to rest content for the third place.

Also Read : Inaugural edition of electric off-road racing series Extreme E coming to an end

News Source : PTI

(Motorsport) On the outskirts of Doha, the Losail International Circuit will be the venue for a Formula 1 weekend for the first time ever as the 2021 season concludes in the Middle East over the next four weeks. The title race became much more interesting at the Sao Paulo GP last week when Lewis Hamilton finished first despite being disqualified in the qualification and incurring a five place grid penalty for an engine change. 

The gap between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton has been reduced to 14 points but the real gap was there for all to see in Brazil as the seven time World Champion finished over 10 seconds faster than the Dutch racing driver, an indication of what’s to come in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi. Things are looking even better for Mercedes in the Constructors Championship as the Silver Arrows are 11 points ahead of Red Bull after the events in Brazil and there is definitely tension between the two camps in one of the closest title races in the last few years.

Despite there being no possibility of the championship being won in Qatar, there are many points up for grab, 25 to be exact for a race win and 1 point for the fastest lap which means that if Verstappen wins the Qatar GP, the Dutchman can then afford to finish second in the final two races and still win the World Championship for the first time in his career. However, both Red Bull and Verstappen will undoubtedly be wary of Mercedes’ pace at the 5.4 km Losail International Circuit which is regarded as a fast and flowing track with medium and high-speed corners.

Heading into the weekend, Verstappen said “We still have a good points lead, it was damage limitation on a weekend where it was a bit difficult for us, but I'm confident we will bounce back. It [the title race] has been like this the whole year. It went up, came down, went behind, I'm back in front, so a lot of things can still happen." In other rivalries on the grid, Ferrari are currently in third place at the Constructors Standings with 287.5 points while McLaren have 256 points. The Italian team will hope that both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz outperform Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo in Qatar to ensure the most successful team in F1 history finish higher than their British counterparts this season.

Also read: Mercedes request a right of review after controversial Verstappen-Hamilton incident at the São Paulo GP

(Motorsports news): It's just 30 days until Extreme E’s Season 1 finale and the crowning moment of the first ever Championship team in this sport for purpose series, taking place in Dorset, UK from 18-19 December 2021.

 

Alejandro Agag, Founder and CEO at Extreme E, said: “We are now just weeks away from completing our inaugural season, and what a season it has been!

 

“Already, there has been great racing on some epic courses, and the route for Dorset is really coming together. It will offer a variety of surfaces, natural obstacles and challenges with no doubt lots of rain so expect a wet and muddy course this time round.

 

“More importantly, though, throughout our first year we have raised awareness of the climate crisis facing us all. We’ve left behind positive impacts in each location and Dorset will be no different as we work alongside local organisations to implement a programme in the area.”

 

The course is all set and will once again provide completely new challenges from the previous races to date. With races in Saudi and Senegal over, the glacial plains of Greenland and the hard-baked features of Sardinia. A mixed surface of clay, sand, gravel, and mud dominates the course in Dorset, making grip, or the lack of it, which will be a tough task as rain is always likely to fall in the UK in December. There will be a variety of fast downhill sections, narrow twisty areas and wide-open spaces providing options for different lines and overtaking.

 

Although Rosberg X Racing (RXR) has topped the leaderboard throughout it has not all been plain sailing and the Championship title will go down to the wire, with Lewis Hamilton’s X44, Andretti United, and Jenson Button’s JBXE, all battling for podium positions.

 

Off the course, the series is developing a Legacy Programme to assist the local community and its natural surroundings. Full details of the project will be out in the coming weeks.

 

As with all Extreme E races, spectators allowed to attend as part of the championship’s goal to reduce its event footprint, but are can witness the action from the comfort of their homes by watching the races through a host of global broadcasters (available here) including ITV 1, Sky Sports, BT Sport and BBC digital channels in the UK, and via the virtual FanWorld. 

 

The Championship’s floating centrepiece, the St. Helena is going through its final leg of 2021 to arrive in the UK ahead of the Jurassic X Prix. Once landed, all of the series’ cargo will be moved to the Dorset event site ready for a pre-Christmas racing spectacle.

 

Also read: Guanyu Zhou becomes first Chinese driver to feature in Formula 1, will partner Bottas at Alfa Romeo for 2022 season

Coimbatore, Nov 18 (Motor Sports news): The second round of the 24th JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship (JKNRC) 2021 will be held at the Kari Motor Speedway (KMS) here this weekend.

After the first round, Chennai's Vishnu Prasad leads the premier LGB Formula 4 standings with 21 points from three races. He is followed by Bengaluru's Sohil Shah. Amir Sayed of Kottayam is not far behind. He is currently third and it is only a few points that is now separating him from his former MSport teammates.

But the top three are aware of the other drivers, who are capable of pulling off a surprise on their day. The list includes Mohamed Ryan and A Sandeep Kumar (both Chennai), Arya Singh (West Bengal), Chirag Ghorpade (Bengaluru), T S Diljith (Kerala), to name a few.

The Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup, which made its debut in the opening round, saw Anish Damodara Shetty from Hubli shine. He was challenged by Allwin Xavier from Thrissur. The duo, having tested the machines for one full round on the smooth and flowing Kari track, is expected to build an even better show during the weekend.

Raivat Dhar (Jammu) and Lani Zena Fernandez (Puducherry), the only girl racer on the grid for the RE GT Cup, will aim to improve their performance in the second round.

Bengaluru's Ruhaan Alva ruled the roost in the JK Tyre Novice Cup and the others face a tough task in challenging his supremacy.

There will three races each of JK Tyre LGB Formula 4 & JK Tyre novice Cup and 2 races of JK Tyre presents RE Continental GT cup over the weekend.

Also Read : Guanyu Zhou becomes first Chinese driver to feature in Formula 1, will partner Bottas at Alfa Romeo for 2022 season

News Source :PTI

(Motorsport) Chinese F2 driver Guanyu Zhou will replace Antonio Giovinazzi at Alfa Romeo for the 2022 Formula 1 season, becoming the first full-time Chinese F1 driver with the Italian team introducing an all-new driver line-up for next year. The 22 year old will be the only rookie of the Formula 1 grid next year and has previously been a reserve driver for Alpine.

Speaking after his announcement, Zhou said “To be the first ever Chinese driver in Formula 1 is a breakthrough for Chinese motorsport history. I dreamt from a young age of climbing as high as I can in a sport that I am passionate about and now the dream has come true.” Alfa Romeo team boss Frederic Vasseur added “He is a very talented driver, as his results in F2 have shown, and we are looking forward to helping his talent flourish even more in Formula 1."

With the likes of Bottas and Zhou being the two drivers for Alfa Romeo in the 2022 season, Antonio Giovinazzi’s time at the F1 grid has come to an end for the time being. The 27 year old joined Alfa Romeo in 2019 and the Ferrari backed driver even out qualified Raikkonen this year but scored fewer points than the veteran Finn. Giovinazzi has finished in the top-10 only eight times with his best performance coming in the 2019 Brazilian GP where he finished fifth. With his departure, Formula 1 will not feature an Italian in the drivers line-up for the 2022 season.

With Zhou joining Alfa Romeo, the grid for all 10 teams are now confirmed, with the season promising to be vastly different due to the change of rules and different cars. The Chinese driver has been plying his trade in F2 for the last three seasons, finishing 7th in 2019, sixth in 2020 and is currently second in 2021 behind Alpine driver Oscar Piastri. Out of the 10 teams, Alfa Romeo are only one of the three who have changed their line-ups with Mercedes signing George Russell as Bottas’ replacement while Williams replaced Russell with Alex Albon.

Also read: Lewis Hamilton makes epic comeback at Sao Paulo GP to reduce Verstappen’s title lead to 14 points

(Motorsport) Formula 1 World Champions Mercedes have requested a right of review after Max Verstappen’s manoeuvre at the São Paulo GP forced Lewis Hamilton wide, a move that was not penalised by the stewards during the race. However, in light of new on-board footage released from Verstappen’s car, the Silver Arrows have requested the lap 48 incident at Interlagos “on the basis of new evidence unavailable to the stewards at the time of the decision”.

Despite F1 Race Control conceding the fact that it was a ‘near-miss’ between Verstappen and Hamilton, they decided not to pursue an investigation with the replays suggesting that the Belgian-Dutch racing driver was doing nothing wrong to defend his lead. The Mercedes team released a statement on social media that said “The Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team confirms that we have today requested a Right of Review under Article 14.1.1 of the International Sporting Code, in relation to the Turn 4 incident between Car 44 and Car 33 on lap 48 of the 2021 Brazilian Grand Prix, on the basis of new evidence unavailable to the Stewards at the time of their decision”.

After the race in Brazil, FIA director Michael Masi accepted that they were unable to consult Verstappen’s on-board at the time of the incident as it would only be available after the race was over. If this incident goes in the way of Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton, Verstappen could possibly face a three-point penalty which would greatly change the dynamics of the Drivers Championship with only 14 points separating the two drivers.

There is also a possibility that the stewards stand firm with their original decision but in the worst case scenario for Max Verstappen, the stewards may give him a five second penalty which would result in the current Drivers Championship leader being relegated to third position behind both the Mercedes drivers. However, that in itself would be a controversial decision with Red Bull saying that their strategy would have completely changed if the penalty would have been awarded during the race. Truth be told, Verstappen deserves nothing more than a warning for the incident and any penalty incurred would be harsh to say the least.

Also read: Lewis Hamilton makes epic comeback at Sao Paulo GP to reduce Verstappen’s title lead to 14 points

Mangaluru, Nov 15 (Motor Sports news) Defending champion Aishwarya Pissay claimed her third consecutive win in the third round of the FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) 2021 for two-wheelers in Puttur.

Overall, Aishwarya finished 20 among 55 bikers that took the start and was ahead of 29 men and six women, who all competed on different bikes in various classes.

"I thank my team, TVS Racing and the mechanics for giving me another winning bike. I also thank Hyperice, the equipment that helps me to recover and maintain my fitness levels," six-time national champion Aishwarya said in a statement.

"The terrain is challenging and it is good for the National Rally because only such difficult terrain can prepare Indians for the tougher International rallies." The Bengaluru-based Aishwarya claimed a win at Hampi and registered a victory in Round 2 at Bengaluru to lead the table in the woman's category after her third win from three rounds here.

Dakar Rally prospect Aishwarya began on a ferocious note by registering a blistering pace in the short 5.2-km Karambi Special Stage, but lost crucial time in SS2, the 15.1-km Karikala stage.

However, by relying on her vast experience, she extracted the best from her bike in the next four stages to bounce back brilliantly and played safe thereon, with regulated aggression on the slippery track to emerge triumphant in 50 minutes 38.849 seconds.

The fourth round, the Rally of Chikmagalur is scheduled for next Sunday and after two more rounds in Coimbatore and Nashik, the topper with more points will be declared as the national champion.

Also Read : MotoGP: Valentino Rossi bids adieu to the sport as Bagnaia wins his second successive race to end the year on a high

News Source : PTI

(Motorsports) After 432 Grand Prix starts spanning 26 seasons, nine time World Champion brought the curtains down on his illustrious career. For Ducati, it was a historic 1-2-3 at the Valencia Grand Prix as Pecco Bagnaia claimed his fourth victory of the season, followed by Jorge Martin in second and Jack Miller in third. With the Championship confirmed, the day belonged to “the doctor” who qualified 10th and finished in the top 10 to cap off an underwhelming season but amazing career.

Poleman Jorge Martin nailed his start as he grabbed the lead into the first corner as Jack Miller and Joan Mir followed him closely. After lap 1 Miller took the lead at the first corner but Martin retaliated at turn 2 reclaiming the lead, while the battle upfront was intensifying Mir took advantage and overtook Miller at turn 4. Bagnaia and Rins were on the charge as they quickly chased down Miller who was suffering from a bit of tyre degradation at the  initial stage while Bagnaia and Rins would get ahead of Mir on lap four to give chase on Martin. The top four soon opened up a gap from the rest of the field, Rins and Bagnaia were having a intense battle for the second but Rins race ended after a crash at turn 11 in lap no 6. Finally Bagnaia overtook Martin in lap number 15, it was usual business for Pecco as he started opening a gap although Martin did his best to stay with him. Eventually Bagnaia won the race half second ahead of Martin as Jack Miller settled for the last podium place.

Although Bagnaia won the race, the day belonged to Valentino Rossi as he got a massive tribute during the final laps. After the race, Rossi said in his final debrief as a MotoGP rider, “It was a really, really special weekend. I didn’t expect it to be like this. I was a bit worried about the last weekend of my career because you always think on this moment for a long time and you don’t know how you will feel, or if you are able to stay concentrated on the race, and also if you are sad. But it was a great weekend from Thursday. I received a lot of surprises, from the bikes of the [past] championships [I won], and also my riders using my helmets. It was very emotional. Also, great support and great respect from all the people in the paddock and all the MotoGP riders. Especially since it was a great weekend already from yesterday, I rode well and today in the race I was able to arrive in the top 10. So, it means I will close my long career with the top 10 riders in the world”.

“This is so important for me, it means a lot, and I can use this result for a long time because I can say in my last race I finished in the top 10.This is very important. Also, from Saturday to Sunday we improved, also Pecco [Bagnaia] helped me to stay in the top 10 [in FP3] and go directly to the Q2 and start in the top 10. You can do really another race [starting from the top 10]. Also, today I feel the motivation and the concentration like if I had to play for the championship because the last race is the last race, it’s very important. It’s not easy because already from Monday I have a lot of pressure, a lot of things to do. But for me the most important thing was to try to be competitive in the race because I’m still a rider, and it’s a great emotion. Today I rode very well, I never made any mistakes, and I gave my maximum from the beginning to the end.”

Also read: Valentino Rossi: The man, the myth and legend who will never be forgotten

Bagnaia said, “The most important thing was to celebrate him in the best way possible, and with my favourite helmet he did in the past – and the most significant I think, because in 2004 he won with Yamaha, it was not easy and he won. So, for me it was the nicest one for the story this helmet had. So, I chose this one and today was the best way possible to celebrate him in his last race by winning. And it was nice the hug we had on track after the chequered flag. We shared a lot of emotions there, so I’m very happy. Sincerely not because [it was] a positive pressure. I was not fighting for anything because the championship positions were already decided. So, I was just doing my race and I was doing what I was doing all weekend. I’m just so happy to have won with this helmet.”

MotoGP™ of Valencia Result (Top 10)

1. Francesco Bagnaia, ITA, Ducati Team (GP21) 0:41:15.481 25pts
2. Jorge Martín, ESP, Pramac Ducati (GP21) +0.489s 20pts
3. Jack Miller, AUS, Ducati Team (GP21) +0.823s 16pts
4. Joan Mir, Suzuki, +5.214s 13pts
5. Fabio Quartararo, FRA, Yamaha Factory Racing, (YZR-M1) +5.439s 11pts
6. Johann Zarco, Ducati, 10pts
7. Brad Binder, KTM, +8.437s 9pts
8. Enea Bastianini, Ducati, +10.933s 8pts
9. Aleix Espargaro, Aprilia, +12.651s 7pts
10. Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, +13.468s 6pts

 
MotoGP™ World Championship Standings

1. Fabio Quartararo, FRA, Yamaha Factory Racing (YZR-M1) 278pts
2. Francesco Bagnaia, ITA, Ducati Team (GP21) 252 pts
3. Joan Mir, ESP, Suzuki Factory Racing (GSX-RR) 208pts
4. Jack Miller, AUS, Ducati Team (GP21) 181pts
5. Johann Zarco, FRA, Pramac Ducati (GP21) 173pts
6. Brad Binder, RSA, Red Bull KTM (RC16) 151pts
7. Marc Márquez, ESP, Repsol Honda (RC213V) 142pts
8. Aleix Espargaro, ESP, Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP) 120 pts
9. Jorge Martín, ESP, Pramac Ducati (GP21) 111pts
10. Maverick Viñales, ESP, Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP) 106pts

(Motorsport) With only three races remaining in the 2021 Formula 1 season, the rivalry between seven time World Champion Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen is more heated than ever before. The British racing driver was at a major disadvantage ahead of Sunday’s race in Brazil, starting from the 10th position due to an engine penalty but showed exactly why he is one of the greatest Formula 1 drivers of all time after finishing first in an epic comeback.

Hamilton had a notably faster car throughout the weekend, largely due to the engine change and it showed as he raced through his competitors in the opening laps while Verstappen went past Hamilton’s Mercedes teammate Bottas, who was in pole position after the Sprint race at the start of the race. After that, it was largely a chase by Hamilton, looking to finish in first position at the Interlagos while Verstappen desperately tried to defend his championship lead to ensure another Formula 1 victory.

A controversial moment occurred in lap 48 when Verstappen made a questionable move into turn 4 to deny Hamilton a chance to overtake the Dutch racing driver but the stewards deemed it a legal move which angered the Mercedes camp. However, Hamilton’s patience finally paid off 11 laps later when his car finally went past Verstappen’s Red Bull to reduce the deficit for the Drivers Championship to just 14 points with only three races to go in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi.

Speaking after the race, Hamilton said “Coming into this weekend I never ever thought we would be able to close the gap like we had today. Then these things that just kept going against us but it really shows for everyone, never give up. Never, ever stop fighting and that's how I've really approached this weekend.” The British racing driver had failed to win any of his last four races and this was only the 2nd of his 101 Formula 1 victories from a position lower than sixth.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz finished fifth and sixth respectively while Lance Stroll and Yuki Tsunoda collided early. McLaren had a disappointing day overall as Lando Norris had a puncture in the first lap and finished in a disappointing 10th place while Daniel Ricciardo was forced to retire in what was a major blow in McLaren’s fight against Ferrari for third place in the Constructors Championship.

Also read: Lewis Hamilton incurs five place grid penalty at São Paulo GP, hands title advantage to Max Verstappen

(Motorsport) Lewis Hamilton was at his dominant best on Friday, delivering a magnificent performance in the São Paulo GP to finish in first position, starting one place higher than title rival Max Verstappen on Saturday’s 24 lap Sprint race where the winner can win a maximum of three points. However, the seven time World Champion will also incur a five-place grid penalty for Sunday’s Grand Prix after another engine change, which means the Mercedes driver can start no higher than sixth position.

Hamilton is currently 19 points behind Max Verstappen with four races to go and his scintillating pace on Friday can largely be attributed to his engine change, his fifth of the season so far and his second since the last four races. Drivers are only permitted to change three internal combustion engines per season without incurring a penalty, but Mercedes’ reliability issues has meant that Hamilton and Bottas are currently on their fifth and sixth engine respectively.

The last time Hamilton incurred an engine penalty was in Turkey where he had to drop 11 places and despite being fastest in qualification, the British racing driver started the race in 11th position and finished 5th. It would be interesting to see how Hamilton deals with this fresh setback and covers the ground in Brazil, especially considering he has a much faster car than his title rivals.

Such was Hamilton’s pace on Friday that he topped all three qualifying segments on Friday by a comfortable margin, his fastest time of 1:07:934 being four tenths quicker than rival Verstappen. However, the Dutch racing driver will be comforted by the fact that even if he finishes behind Hamilton in 2nd place at the Sprint race, he will still have the official pole position at the São Paulo GP.

As things stand, things could become even worse for Lewis Hamilton as his Mercedes car has been referred to stewards due to a possible DRS infringement during qualification. The hearing has been adjourned to Saturday while stewards “await further evidence that will not be available until the morning” but the F1’s technical delegate has said that Hamilton’s car did not fulfill the ‘maximum distance’ required for the Drag Reduction System.

In a statement released on Friday evening, it said “The uppermost rear wing element adjustable positions were checked on car number 44 for compliance with article 3.6.3 of the 2021 Formula One technical regulations. The requirement for the minimum distance was fulfilled. But the requirement for the maximum of 85mm, when the DRS system is deployed and tested in accordance with TD/011-19, was not fulfilled. I am referring this matter to the stewards for their consideration.”

If found in violation, Hamilton may possibly incur further penalties which would be a blow for the seven time World Champion and Mercedes at the business end of the season. In other results, Sergio Perez finished in fourth position behind Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas, Pierre Gasly of the AlphaTauri finished fifth ahead of the two Ferrari’s of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz. Lando Norris’ McLaren will start in eighth place while Daniel Ricciardo will be ninth.

Also read: São Paulo GP Preview: Formula 1 sprint returns as Verstappen looks to widen gap against Lewis Hamilton

(Motorsport) The third and final sprint of the 2021 Formula 1 season will take place this weekend as Mercedes look to catch up with Red Bull at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace in São Paulo, Brazil. With only four races to go, Verstappen is currently on 312.5 points while his closest competitor Lewis Hamilton is on 293.5 points in the Drivers Standings. The Constructors Championship is a lot closer between Red Bull and Mercedes with the Silver Arrows having only a one point advantage over their rivals heading into Brazil.

Verstappen has truly raced like a champion in the United States and Mexico, performing when it has mattered the most to gain a 19 point advantage. A win at the São Paulo GP will be a huge advantage for the Dutchman, who can go to the Middle East for the remaining three races knowing fully well that he can afford to finish 2nd in all of them and still win his maiden title. It’s impossible to predict which driver will have the advantage on this track as both Verstappen and Hamilton have won 2 of the last four GP’s in Brazil. The momentum might be with Red Bull and Verstappen at the moment but the 24 year old has downplayed it, claiming the teams will be much closer in the upcoming weekend.

To add to the excitement, the third and final Sprint race will also take place, having already taken place at Silverstone and Monza. Both Verstappen and Hamilton have collided on the Sunday after the two sprint races took place previously but fans will be hoping that an incident does not take place this time around, especially with the stakes higher than ever for the two racing drivers and 107 points still up for grabs.

Formula 1 is a sport of fine margins and Verstappen alongside Red Bull will be well aware of how things can go wrong which could put all the hard work put throughout the season in jeopardy. If that’s one thing even the most casual Formula 1 fan knows, it’s that Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes cannot be underestimated and that the race isn’t over until it is. The seven time World Champion has reiterated that he will not give up and the championship will go right down to the wire. The 36 year old said “All I can do is just squeeze everything out of this car. They clearly have a stronger car so I think all I can do is just make sure we don't leave any stone unturned and we just maximise all we have, and give it my all.”

However, Red Bull can take solace in the fact that their car looked much more superior than the Mercedes in Mexico, with Verstappen winning the race at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez by a 16.5 second margin over Lewis Hamilton. Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff said “You have to congratulate Red Bull because the pace was just on another level. I don't think we could have won the race even if we had stayed ahead in the first corner because they could have driven circles around the pit-stops. So in the end I think for Lewis' championship it was damage limitation, as for the constructors [Mercedes are now only one point ahead of Red Bull], Valtteri spinning out Turn 1 was just very painful."

Also read: Mexico City GP: Max Verstappen extends Drivers Championship lead over Lewis Hamilton with a dominant victory

(Motorsports news) After a heartbreaking late race crash at Misano, Ducati's Pecco Bagnaia came back in fine style at the penultimate race of the season to win the Algarve GP in Portimao. Suzuki’s Joan Mir finished in second with Pecco’s teammate Jack Miller finishing a closely fought third position. With only the last race remaining at Valencia, the Constructor Championship and the top three positions in the riders standings got sealed. The Constructors Championship was eventually won by Ducati as they managed to take top over Yamaha.

Pecco settled for his 5th consecutive pole position as his teammate Jack Miller started second on the grid followed by Joan Mir. The start was not great for Pecco, his teammate propelled his GP21 off the line very well and grabbed the holeshot into the first turn, but the Aussie was slightly wide which allowed Bagnaia through, lap 1 also saw Mir pass Miller. Pecco and Mir started showing as they opened a one second lead over Miller in third but by lap 7 Bagnaia was in a class of his own, he put the hammer down and opened a gap over the former champion. With Pecco’s lead stretching an intense battle for the podium between Mir, Miller and Alex Marquez took place, with Mir pulling away from these two in the last few laps, the place for the final podium spot between Miller and Marquez was unfolding, however the last lap didn't arrive as Lecuona and Oliveira were involved in a heavy crash at turn 13 which brought the red flags and abruptly ended the race.

With this victory Pecco Bagania and Joan Mir secured second and third place respectively in the riders standings, Ducati won the Constructors Championship with 332 points as they won their second constructors title in a row and third Constructors title in MotoGP. With World Champion Fabio Quartararo crashing it meant that Yamaha couldn’t do the double this year, next season with Morbidelli in the bike Yamaha will be hoping to win their first constructor championship since 2015.

Speaking after the race, Bagnaia said: "I’m very happy because I think it’s my best weekend in MotoGP. Also, I enjoyed every single session this weekend. "When you feel so great with your bike everything comes more easily to you. I’m very happy with the work done.Compared to April when I finished second, I was feeling more competitive this time around. This race was more difficult at the start because with the front tyre I was struggling a bit more compared to other races, so I was trying to push but every time I was leaning on the left I was feeling that the left was closing. But then everything came better and better in the next laps, so I’m very happy for this win."I sincerely think I’m the same in Misano. I was doing the same race, I was doing the same pushing like Misano and there I was more unlucky because I crashed," 

Also read: MotoGP: Fabio Quartararo wins his first MotoGP world title as Marquez win his second successive race in a row

Bagnaia added by saying, “Maybe today it's because I wasn’t with the hard front [jokes Bagnaia]; Mir cuts in and says ‘I hoped you used the hard’ [smiles], but sincerely I didn’t change it. In Misano I was just trying to open up the championship, but I already knew that it was very difficult to win if I won in Misano then for sure Quartararo would not crash today. So it’s okay like this. I was racing without pressure in the championship, so I just did the same thing today."

Top 10:

1. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team)
2. Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) + 2.478
3. Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) + 6.402
4. Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) + 6.453
5. Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) + 7.882
6. Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) + 9.573
7. Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) + 10.144
8. Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) + 10.742
9. Enea Bastianini (Avintia Esponsorama) + 13.840
10. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) + 14.487

(Motorsport) Despite a Mercedes 1-2 at the end of qualification for the Mexico City GP at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, it was Red Bull who emerged victorious in what is a serious boost for Max Verstappen’s title aspirations as he extended his lead to 19 points over Lewis Hamilton with only four races to go. The Dutchman gained the pole position right from the start, slipstreaming past Bottas and Hamilton and there was no looking back from then on.

Such was the pace displayed by the Red Bull cars that Verstappen went past the chequered flag after being 16.5 seconds ahead of Hamilton who narrowly finished second with Sergio Perez following closely behind. Valtteri Bottas was spun in the first corner by McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo, resulting in the driver from Finland relegated to the back of the grid and to make matters worse, a slow second pit stop ensured Mercedes’ second car was completely out of the points contention. However, the Finnish driver did get the fastest lap of the race when a late pit stop by Mercedes ensured Bottas was on fresh tyres to take the bonus point away from Verstappen. 

The point was crucial as it ensured Mercedes remained ahead of Red Bull in the Constructors Championship (by 1 point) but the pace displayed by both Verstappen and Perez means the Silver Arrows will be worried heading into the final four races in Brazil, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi. Red Bull’s celebrations were amplified by Sergio Perez finishing third in his home Grand Prix, becoming the first Mexican to finish on the podium since 1963. Pierre Gasly of AlphaTauri finished fourth, ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, thereby ensuring that Alpine are now fifth in the Constructors Championship.

McLaren’s Lando Norris, who was penalized to 18th place on the grid did reasonably well to finish 10th but only managed a point which proved to be good news for Ferrari who are now placed third in the Constructors Championship behind Mercedes and Red Bull. Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel finished 7th while Kimi Raikkonen (Alfa Romeo) and Fernando Alonso (Alpine) finished 8th and 9th respectively to improve on their grid positions.

Also read: Formula 1 could make the sprint format a standard approach for Grand Prix weekends

(Motorsport) Formula 1 returns after two weeks to the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez for the first time in two years as the intense battle between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton continues for the Drivers Championship. The Mexico City Grand Prix weekend has traditionally been one of the most colourful and energetic events in the calendar and that is expected to continue this time around in one of the most gripping Formula 1 season’s in recent history.

Having won in Texas, Verstappen currently has a 12 point lead over seven time World Champion Lewis Hamilton but with five races to go, it has never been more important for Red Bull and Verstappen to pull up their socks and get the result they need to secure the title. After Mexico, three Grand Prix’s will be held in successive weeks and there will be little time for preparation between the two teams with races coming thick and fast as the season concludes. Verstappen’s performance this season has been close to immaculate, getting the maximum performance from his car, error free races, fantastic tyre management and race strategy to ensure he’s in the driving seat in the championship this time around.

For Hamilton, the Mercedes driver has reiterated that he wants to win or lose his eighth World Championship in "the right way" and will leave “no performance on the table” at this weekend’s Mexico City GP. The circuit has generally favoured Red Bull in recent seasons, being situated 2000m above sea level but it was Hamilton who won the race two years earlier. "[In 2019] they were quite a bit quicker than us so you'd have to say this is a Red Bull track. But we have had success here in the past," said Hamilton. "We did win here last time but that was only because Max made a mistake and got a penalty [which lost him pole], otherwise they were much quicker than us. So we expect that it will be very similar this weekend."

Hamilton added: "We thought that we would be stronger, for example, in somewhere like Austin - they were quite a bit stronger than us there in the race. So I really can't predict it. What I do know is that last year [2019] they outqualified us here and they were down on power compared to us through the year. Now they are ahead on power, there or thereabouts, and they've got a very strong car that's been affected less by the changes in the rules that we were affected by. So they are going to be rapid this weekend, last year [2019] they were almost half a second ahead of us, and our car is not better than last year's car with those changes."

Mercedes have been plagued by engine troubles this year with both Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas exceeding the current engine allocation. Toto Wolff had previously said that if there are reliability concerns, a new engine change for Hamilton is not out of the picture as a DNF is more harmful from the bigger picture than incurring a grid penalty. However, a new engine for the Mexico City GP is out of the question for Hamilton who said “I believe our engines are strong and as far as I'm aware we're hopefully going to the end."

The other battle that will be fought at the Mexico City GP will be between Ferrari and McLaren for the third place in the Constructors Championship. Ferrari have outscored McLaren by 14 points in the last two Grand Prix’s and have reduced the British team’s lead to just 3.5 points with Ferrari in momentum, having introduced their 2022 engine to great effect. McLaren’s Lando Norris has admitted that their rivals will be tough to beat in the upcoming races “It’s always generally been very close [with Ferrari], since the beginning of the season – it’s not like we’ve run away with it at any point. It’s tense. We are working hard, everyone back at the factory is working hard, to find these little things we need for the rest of the season. But Ferrari are strong, you’ve got to give it to them. They’ve come on very strong the second half of the season and especially the last few weekends. So we are putting up a fight and we can definitely bring it to the end.”

Also read: Formula 1 could make the sprint format a standard approach for Grand Prix weekends

(Motorsport) Formula 1 Managing Director Ross Brawn has said that F1 could see more sprint format races in the upcoming 2022 season as they are looking to take “progressive rather than radical steps” with the format. Brawn has said that there is no reason why having a one-third distance race in addition to qualifying and the Grand Prix not be used for all Formula 1 events in the future.

Formula 1 has already agreed in principle with the teams and the governing body FIA to increase the number of sprint events to six next year and are looking to modify the format based on the learnings from this year. Brawn said “It's open. It could evolve that way, but if it does, it will be because it's the best thing to do. We are taking it carefully step by step and off the back of six you can decide whether you want to increase the number. I don't think we should be afraid of doing that because, if we did that, it would be a measure of the success of the sprint. And if that is the format for the future then we have gone about it the right way. Equally, we may conclude that having it as a showcase event adds interest to the season.”

The sprint format was first introduced this season at three Grand Prix events to add some extra entertainment to race weekends. In this format, the qualifying is moved to Friday which determines the grid positions for the sprint on Saturday. The mini race covers one third of the distance of the Grand Prix with the results determining the grid positions for the main race on Sunday. The sprint format was implemented at the British and Italian Grand Prix with the third set to happen in Brazil this month.

In comparison to the sprint events this year, the learnings from the format has been that awarding pole position to the winner of the sprint race instead of fastest driver over one lap has not been a popular choice amongst both the fans and the drivers. The number of points awarded is likely to increase for next year to ensure drivers are more motivated to go for it and improve the competitiveness of the sprint races. Another possibility that’s being considered is to have the ‘sprint’ as a completely stand alone event with the qualification determining the grid positions as usual and the sprint grid being determined in another way.

While the venue for the six sprint races is undecided for next year, radical changes are unlikely in the format as Formula 1 has already introduced a major change in technical rules for 2022 to ensure more entertaining races. Brawn said “The overall weekend has improved so much we will go with it, but we are discussing with the teams how to make a bit more Saturday more challenging and engaging. We are going to be relatively conservative in the steps we've made. We don't want to spoil it by overstepping and people feeling it's gone too far."

On a standard race weekend, there is only two hours of free practice but with the sprint format, the day has become a lot more relevant. Brawn said “To be frank, we've had a bigger impact on Friday than we anticipated, that's why we're doing this experiment. Talking to the drivers about the sprint, they've said Friday is great now because they get in and get an hour of practice and they have to go for it. Friday had pretty uniform support from most of the drivers. The only ones who were a little apprehensive were the rookies who didn't get as much running as they might have enjoyed."

Also read: Max Verstappen extends Championship lead against Hamilton to 12 points after nervy US Grand Prix win

(Motorsports news) Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo wins his first MotoGP world title at Emilia Romagna Grand Prix after Pecco Bagnaia unfortunately crashed in the closing stages. The crash meant that Marc Marquez won his third race of the season as his compatriot Pol Espargaro finished second to give Honda a historic one-two. Avintia rider and rookie Enea Bastianini moved up from 16th to finish third to round up the top three.

Pole setter Bagnaia got off to an amazing start as he along with his teammate Jack Miller set the pace up front in the beginning, Marc Marquez too had a good start as the top three broke away from the rest. Jack Miller pressed his teammate in the first few laps but the Australian made a mistake on turn 15 sliding off the track and giving up his second place to Marquez as his Repsol Honda teammate Pol Espargaro moved up into the podium. Like earlier in the season at Aragon it was again Pecco vs Marquez , this time the Ducati had a lot of speed that Marquez couldn’t keep up with as Pecco’s had a lot more pace towards lap 10 as he started opening a slight gap but with 5 laps remaining, he made a mistake in turn 15 which not only ended his race but also his World Championship hopes. This subsequently meant that Fabio Quartararo would finish on the podium but Bastianini overtook him in the last lap to get his second podium of the year.

Quartararo came into the race holding a 52 point lead over him as he just had to finish above him to win this year's World Championship. At the start of the race it looked like he had to wait for a few more races before he could celebrate his Championship as he had qualified 15th but in the end his closest rival crashed out for him to become the first rider from France to win a MotoGP World Championship. In doing so he became the first non Spanish rider since Casey Stoner when he won it in 2011 to win a MotoGP World Championship and to finally put an end to this Spanish domination. This was also a historic race for Valentino Rossi as he rode his final race at home and finished a respectable 10th place in the race. 

Fabio Quartararo after winning his first title said, “I still can't believe it! I can't even talk. It feels amazing. Maybe later I can talk a bit more. Right now, I'm living the dream! It feels good to also have my family with me, and we will enjoy this a lot tonight and until the end of the season Of course, this was not the way I wanted Pecco's weekend to end, but I'm happy he's okay. Now we are the World Champion. I have no words and I have no more liquid left in my body to cry. It feels so good, but I can't even describe what I'm feeling right now. To be on the podium with a big part of my family and my family from the circuit. I have no words.MotoGP has been going on for quite a long time. To be the first Frenchman to win it is amazing. I'm also happy for Yamaha. Since 2015 they haven't won a title, and today we won it again. It's an amazing feeling,” 

Marquez said: “This is a much more important victory than Austin. My target was to be on the podium here or in Portimao, on a ‘right’ circuit to finish the season. And we won. We won here in Misano where usually we are not strong and we had a race pace. When Pecco started to push, honestly speaking I said ok and I relaxed a bit but he crashed. Fortunately, he’s ok and we were able to take profit because he had the edge. We keep improving and this is the best way to finish the 2021 season as we prepare for 2022. When you look at the gap compared to the first race here, we’ve made a step. I also want to say a big congratulations to Fabio for his title, he has been incredible this year and he really deserves it. Today is his day but I look forward to fighting with him again next year".

Also read: MotoGP: Marc Marquez reclaims his COTA crown as he wins his seventh MotoGP race at the Circuit of Americas

Top 10:

1. Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team)
2. Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) + 4.859
3. Enea Bastianini (Avintia Esponsorama) + 12.013
4. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) + 12.775
5. Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) + 16.458
6. Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) + 17.669
7. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) + 18.468
8. Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) + 18.607
9. Luca Marini (SKY VR46 Avintia) + 25.417
10. Valentino Rossi (Petronas Yamaha SRT) + 27.735
 

(Motorsport news) Red Bull’s Max Verstappen put on a champion’s performance at the United States GP to fend off Lewis Hamilton in his pursuit of his first World Championship. The 24 year old racing driver proved just why he deserves to be the favourite to win the elusive title by performing when it truly mattered and displayed nerves of steel right until the race’s 56th and final lap to win at Circuit of the Americas for the first time in his career.

It looked like Mercedes and Hamilton will regain their Championship lead when the seven time title holder overtook Verstappen in the race’s first corner, but a brilliant strategy by Red Bull ensured the Dutch racing driver went into the opening stop first, ensuring that Verstappen had regained his lead by the time Hamilton went into the pits.

Mercedes’ strategy was to ensure Hamilton stayed on the track longer, which meant that by the time fresher tyres were installed on his car, the 36 year old would take advantage of the superior performance to regain the lead. However, the British racing driver simply could not get into DRS range against Verstappen, despite having the faster car which eventually led to a second place finish for Mercedes and Hamilton.

This is a particularly big win for Red Bull and Max Verstappen, especially considering that the team had not won at Austin, Texas since 2013 and with only five races to go, a 12 point lead is a significant advantage heading into Mexico. The result is one that many had hoped for before the race weekend began, but few would have placed their money on it, especially considering how much more dominant Mercedes have looked in the last few races.

Also read: Formula 1 reveals provisional race calendar for the 2022 season with record 23 races

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff said “I think it was some interesting strategy games and great racing. At the end, we thought we had a sniff at it but it wasn't enough, the moment you get close to the other car is difficult. They went for a super aggressive first stop. That was bold, we did that in Bahrain. They then covered it in the second stint and we thought that was enough to get them but they deserved to win today."

With Formula 1 heading to the Autodromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico it will be Red Bull and not Mercedes who will be favourites at a track that has been a happy hunting ground for the team over the years. With the title already 12 points away from Lewis Hamilton and Verstappen being the favourite in Mexico, a win for the Dutch driver might make this unpredictable season a little more straightforward.

Ferrari and McLaren also continued their battle at the United States GP with Charles Leclerc finishing in fourth position, closer to third placed Sergio Perez of Red Bull than Daniel Ricciardo, who finished fifth. Carlos Sainz finished in seventh position, enabling Ferrari to reach within three-and-a-half points of McLaren for the third place in Constructors Championship.

The Mexican GP will be held on Monday, 8th November at 12:30 am IST.

Coimbatore, Oct 24 (Motor Sports news) Seasoned racer Vishnu Prasad soaked in the pressure like a sponge as he finished on the podium twice in the Formula 4 LGB races in the JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship on Sunday.

Vishnu was first in the morning's race and came second in the second race which was won by Sohil Shah. Shah had dominated a day earlier.

In the JK Tyre Novice Cup, Ruhaan Alva continued from where he finished on Saturday. The boy from Bengaluru competing for MSport opened up an early lead and did not stop.

Vishnu Prasad from MSport team used the reverse grid to his advantage in Sunday's first race. The Kari Motor Speedway was bathed in sunshine after heavy showers overnight. Once again, like Saturday, the race was affected by an interruption after one car went out.

With the safety car in play for two laps, it boiled down to drivers staying calm. This is where the fierce competition between Vishnu Prasad and Amir Sayed, mentor of last year's Novice Cup overall winner, came into play.

Even though Amir had overtaken Vishnu twice early on, when it came to the final tilt, Vishnu showed experience matters.

For Amir Sayed, making the transition from the Novice Cup to the harder category in the reverse grid was a good learning experience.

Vishnu won in 22:45.828 seconds. The gap between him and Amir was 3.908 seconds. Chirag Ghorpade, making the transition from karting to Formula racing, finished third. He took to the change from karts to Formula cars smoothly.

Also Read : Sohil Shah and Ruhaan Alva shine in JK Tyre-FMSCI National Racing Championship

News Source : PTI

Coimbatore, Oct 23 (Motor Sports news) Bengaluru drivers Sohil Shah and Ruhaan Alva won the LGB4 and JK Tyre Novice Cup categories respectively in the JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship here on Saturday.

Shah waited for the right opportunity to step on the pedal to win the race by a difference of 0.165 seconds ahead of Arya Singh from Kolkata.

Teen sensation Alva, well known for his exploits since the age of seven, began the proceedings on a dominant note.

Competing for MSport in the JK Tyre Novice Cup, Ruhaan showed poise and purpose after the first race was red flagged.

After the restart, Alva was fully focussed, not letting the brief stoppage affect him, as he raced without any glitch to clock 14 minutes 22.061 seconds to win the 10-lap race.

Also Read : Stage set for JK Tyre National Racing championship; Continental GT Cup set for debut

News Source : PTI

(Motorsports news) The action got underway in Sardinia today as 18 drivers had their first taste of the 7-kilometre Enel X Island X Prix course, it was the most anticipated and challenging experience so far this season.

Solid rock bases and water splashes were the new challenges in the Extreme E field, and being able to master these difficult conditions quickly ensures there is a lot of scope to improve in the series’ inaugural European round.

Alejandro Agag, Founder and CEO of Extreme E, said: “We love this location and it’s great also to see St. Helena from the course. It’s really great to be in Europe and the response we have had to the race has been fantastic.

“I would like to thank our hosts, the Italian Army, and the region of Sardinia which is truly an amazing place. It is also great to have the Island X Prix’s title sponsor, Enel X, here this weekend. We have a very long relationship with Enel X, first from Formula E and now with Extreme E.

“Sardinia has proven to be a very different setting to our last race in the Arctic in Greenland. It’s been great watching the cars out on the course, especially as it’s really tough here. We will have to see how it is with the dust and if we have rain over the weekend. We have many things in motion, and so we will have to see how it is tomorrow and during the racing on Sunday.”

Michele Cecchini, Head of E Motorsport at Enel X, said: “We at Enel X are very proud to be here as part of this championship. It’s extremely fascinating in terms of sustainability and how we can improve motorsport, and we are super excited to be a part of that.

“We want to develop technologies, we want to develop effective solutions and we believe that in motorsport we can really define what the real requirements are. We like the idea of accelerating what we are doing with motorsport, particularly in Sardinia. 

“It has been hard to see what has happened here in Sardinia, and so alongside developing sustainable solutions we are very pleased that we have been able to be part of the recovery programme here.”

A brief Shakedown session was followed by Free Practice, seeing the cars back on the course for the first time since August certainly set the tone for tomorrow’s qualifying runs and Sunday’s all-important Finals. 

Championship challenger X44 was the fastest out of the blocks in the Free Practice session, posting a total time of 11:53:421 to lead the field. SEGI TV Chip Ganassi Racing were second quickest, just under 20 seconds off X44’s pace. Behind them were the early Free Practice pace-setters Veloce Racing, who ensured they finished third fastest. XITE ENERGY RACING enjoyed a solid start to the weekend and ended the session in fourth ahead of Championship leaders Rosberg X Racing who completed the top five in the practice session.

The top-two last time out in Greenland endured a troubled start to the Enel X Island X Prix. Both Andretti United Extreme E and JBXE suffered significant damage in Free Practice which meant they were unable to complete their respective runs, with both squads in a race against time to get their cars fixed ahead of tomorrow’s qualifying sessions.

Sébastien Loeb, X44, said: “I have some good memories from Sardinia in WRC, so I like this surface to drive on. It is a bit different from what we had in the other events with a lot of sand and big ruts, so you know it is hard. It is a bit more like a rallying style of driving, with more routes and some tight corners.

“Hopefully it will be fine for us and hopefully the other teams will find the solutions to the different problems they had so we will have a good fight this weekend.”

Sara Price, SEGI TV Chip Ganassi Racing, said: “I like this kind of terrain – it reminds me of home and also the Baja. It is going well so far and we just want to keep it that way, so we’re going to go out there and do the best we possibly can.”

Carlos Sainz Snr., ACCIONA | Sainz XE Team said: “In terms of driving I really like the course. It is very complete – you have low, medium and high-speed elements and I would say it is a complete course. It is challenging and that’s good.

“We are hoping for a good weekend, but we have unfortunately not started well. We had an issue in practice which meant we couldn’t complete the run – we lost our power steering which meant that I nearly lost the car on the course. It is a pity, especially for Laia [Sanz] being unable to get a true feel for the car. It means we go into qualifying with a lot of unknowns, but hopefully we can prepare well and have a good run tomorrow."

Molly Taylor, Rosberg X Racing, said: “You have to take every corner as it comes. It is interesting because you can see that there is a lot of attrition and typically on a course like this it is more of an endurance course, but then you only have 7-kilometre of it so it is also a sprint. Managing that is certainly a challenge here. We just need to take every corner as it comes and see where we’re at and put our best foot forward.”

Catie Munnings, Andretti United Extreme E, said: “When I did the course walk, I was really nervous about it as it’s really rough and bumpy. I would say it’s one of the hardest courses we’ve had in the championship, especially after coming off smooth Greenland - but I’ve actually really enjoyed it. I thought it would be one of those things where you are trying to survive, but I managed to get in the flow with it.

“Timmy [Hansen] touched a rock on his run and that broke a rear damper. It wasn’t a perfect run for me either, but the sectors were fast and we’ll look to build on that tomorrow.”

Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky, JBXE: “We had a rough start. Neither Kevin nor I managed to do a lap in free practice so it is going to be tough for sure for tomorrow. But we had a good weekend in Greenland, we showed good pace, and we just want to keep going that way. 

“We have been watching the others, though, so we will try to figure out what are the best lines and then just drive after what we see. It is a challenging course, so I think it is about pushing where you can push and keeping it safe where you have to keep it safe.”

Qualifying for the Enel X Island X Prix gets underway tomorrow and will be shown across a number of broadcasters including Mediaset in Italy, Fox Sports in the USA, ITV, Sky Sports, BBC digital channels and BT Sport in the UK, Teledeporte in Spain, Prosieben MAXX in Germany, as well as Eurosport across most European Markets. 

Also read: Setanta Sports to broadcast Extreme E in Ukraine

All times CEST
 
Saturday 23 October
1100 – 1300 CEST      Qualifying  Round 1
1600 - 1800 CEST      Qualifying Round 2
 
Sunday 24 October
1200 – 1330 CEST     Semi Finals
1600 – 1800 CEST     Final 
 

(Motorsport news) Mercedes have installed a sixth Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) in Valtteri Bottas’ car ahead of the United States GP with the Silver Arrows using twice as many engines than the permitted limit in the Finnish racing drivers car. Bottas has had too many penalties in the last few weeks, with fresh power units installed in Italy, Russia and now the USA, which would result in a five place grid penalty.

Team principal Toto Wolff said in an interview “We've unfortunately had since mid year some reliability issues that keep coming back. I think we understand now much better what it is, but it means that there is no durability in running them and that means potential DNFs.The penalty is less than the previous one but it's still not nice because it's such a tight battle. Even if you're on the pole, you're going to have a difficult time to have back."

The unexpected inclusion of a sixth ICE component has raised doubts about Hamilton’s car as well, with only six races to go it’s a genuine possibility that the seven time World Champion may need another replacement to avoid a possible DNF and as a result, incur a grid penalty which would provide Red Bull’s Max Verstappen with an advantage in an already tight title race.

Three Mercedes powered cars will have a grid penalty at the United States GP as Sebastian Vettel’s Aston Martin and George Russell’s Williams have multiple elements being changed in their engines including Turbos and MGU-Hs. With Bottas incurring a grid penalty, it’s fair to say that we will indeed see a Verstappen vs Hamilton battle for the top spot with six points separating the two drivers at this stage of the season with only six races to go.

Also read: United States GP Preview: Six points gap, six races to go as title race heats up between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton

(Motorsport news) Radical off-road electric racing series, Extreme E, has today expanded its coverage in Ukraine with Setanta Sports

As part of the series’ growing expansion in Ukraine, Setanta Sports will show Extreme E’s full debut season, including the live race feed, highlights, preview, review and magazine shows on its Setanta Sports and Setanta Sports + channels, as well as on-demand on its digital outlet: https://www.setantaplay.tv.

With its population becoming more and more aware of the negative impact of air pollution caused by fossil fuel, Ukraine’s electric car market has shown major growth in recent years. In 2020, the number of electric cars on the roads grew by 375 per cent since 2018, and the country currently boasts the biggest number of public charging points compared to its nearest EU countries – with more than 8,500 (a 57 per cent increase compared to the same period two years ago).

Ali Russell, Chief Marketing Officer at Extreme E, said: “We are thrilled to be announcing Setanta Sports as our latest broadcaster. As a sport for purpose championship which is committed to amplifying the benefits of electrification, it is important to further the exposure of Extreme E in a market where EV sales are continuing to increase.

“There is an even greater purpose to our championship than the radical racing on show, with the need to reduce carbon emissions and combat the climate crisis, something which Ukraine has clearly recognised. As we expand our coverage in Ukraine by partnering with Setanta Sports, I am confident that there will be continued interest in the action-packed wheel-to-wheel racing delivered by Extreme E, as well as the wider storytelling around electrification, the environment and the series’ gender equal platform.”

Also read: Stage set for JK Tyre National Racing championship; Continental GT Cup set for debut

Following the races in Saudi Arabia, Senegal and Greenland the series now goes on to visit Sardinia (23-24 October 2021). The locations that the championship visits are all, in some way, affected by environmental issues such as desertification, deforestation, melting ice caps, plastic pollution, and rising carbon emissions. By holding races in areas that are suffering at the hands of the environmental crisis, the aim is to raise viewers' awareness and interest in environmental issues.

Coimbatore, Oct 21 (Motor sports news) The first round of the 24th JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship (JKNRC) 2021, which begins at the Kari Motor Speedway here on Saturday, will see some of the country's top drivers battle it out for honours.

Also, the weekend will mark the debut of the first ever Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup. Built on Royal Enfield’s Continental GT 650 - the event is expected to add thrill and provides more thrust to JKNRC 2021, a press release said.

In the JKNRC spread over four rounds, names like Vishnu Prasad and Ashwin Datta would be expected to do well while woman driver Mira Erda would be keen to showcase her talent. Also, the focus would be on Amir Sayed in a full grid with 26 cars in the fray.

The LGB Novice Cup, which provides a platform for young and new drivers to shine, would have 24 talented drivers representing different parts of the country, including cities like Guwahati, Ranchi, Nagpur, Coonoor and Vadodara, vying for the title.

The first ever season of the Royal Enfield GT Cup has seen overwhelming response from racing enthusiasts in the country. From an application list of more than 300 aspirants, 100 racers were shortlisted and invited to Coimbatore for the selection on October 18. A final grid of 18 riders, who qualified for the races on October 23 and 24, were identified along with two media wild cards.

Like last year, all safety protocols relating to Covid-19 will be followed by the organisers, the release said.

Also Read : JK Tyre joins hands with Royal Enfield for Continental GT Cup at JKNRC

News Source : PTI

(Motorsport news) With Extreme E’s Enel X Island X Prix on the horizon - which has been supported by the Automobile Club Italia (ACI), Regione Sardegna and Esercito Italiano - the electric off-road series is excited to reveal a thrilling course that brings the nine teams and 18 world-class drivers to the shores of Sardinia.

The Mediterranean island will present one of the toughest challenges to date for both the drivers and the ODYSSEY 21. Coming off the back of a hot Italian summer, which saw a record high of 48.8 degrees centigrade in Sicily, the dry terrain will be baked hard compared with the relatively forgiving sands of Saudi Arabia and Senegal.

Inland from the coastal town of Porto Pino on Sardinia’s southwest coast, the undulating course sits within the Capo Teulada training area. The elevation change is not as dramatic as Saudi Arabia or Greenland, with a modest change of 28 metres, but it is the rutted terrain that will provide the toughest challenge.

The start of the course provides a unique opportunity for the drivers, with a multi-lane section offering very different approaches before the cars rejoin and resume battle. Doing their homework on the course will form a crucial part of team preparation, as the optimal combination of speed and distance could prove elusive.

Having rejoined the main course, the drivers will take a sharp left and traverse a more open, but bumpy plain. Another left followed by a right will take the all-electric SUVs over one of the small inland hills, before a fast, downhill section leads them into the first of two water splashes. Small trees and bushes form the scenery of the next section of the course, which the cars will carve their way through before dipping their Continental tyres in the water for a second time.

The course then winds its way through narrow turns and over more inland rises, before heading out to one of the fastest sections. This long, flat run down to a tight ninety-degree left turn will provide a good opportunity to exploit Hyperdrive.

More carefully navigated turns bring the drivers to the last section of the lap. A short, twisting portion is soon followed by a fast trip over the largest inland hill, where the ODYSSEY 21s are likely to go airborne. The drivers will then need to hit the brakes for a short but steep ten metre drop and another ninety-degree left-hander.

Also read: United States GP Preview: Six points gap, six races to go as title race heats up between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton

A fast and flat section leaves just a final right turn to go, finishing off the striking seven-kilometre course of the Enel X Island X Prix.

Championship Drivers Timo Scheider and Tamara Molinaro have been testing the course ahead of racing getting underway this weekend.

Timo Scheider said: “The challenge is really high this time. It will be totally different to what we’ve seen in the entire season. We have a solid rock base here and water splashes which are brand new to the challenges we’ve had so far this year, but for me the biggest challenges in Sardinia are the hidden bumps.

“We have some medium to high speed corners so weight transfer is very crucial, you have to be super sensible on the surface, the hidden bumps will create trouble I’m sure so for people watching it at home, it will be mega. The drivers will have to be very focused.”

Tamara Molinaro adds: “Like always in Extreme E, for sure it’s very difficult,” she said.

“It’s really tricky in some places with bumps and compressions that you can’t really spot from being in the car, so it will be an interesting weekend. We have a really hard compact gravel, which has a different grip level compared to the surfaces we’ve seen so far.”

Shakedown and Free Practice are set to start tomorrow with Qualifying on Saturday and Finals on Sunday. A number of global broadcasters such as Mediaset in Italy, ITV, BT Sport, Sky Sports and BBC digital channels in the UK, Eurosport throughout Europe, FOX Sports in the USA will be broadcasting the event.

(Motorsport news) With Formula 1 heading to Circuit of the Americas at Austin, Texas the title fight between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton is set to continue. Red Bull’s team will be concerned with how fast Mercedes have been, particularly at the Turkish Grand Prix in both corners and straights. 

Despite Verstappen currently being six points ahead of Hamilton, it’s the seven time World Champion who will be favourite as Mercedes have only lost once on the track in six hybrid-era races and it’s a venue that Hamilton has traditionally excelled in. This season has been such a roller-coaster ride that the title lead has changed hands five times already with all signs pointing towards a sixth occasion this time around. 

Both the drivers will compete on a level playing field this time around, with no grid penalties expected from now until (hopefully) the end of the season. What does this mean? That the race winner will have earned the podium position on merit rather than external circumstances at the business end of the season, a factor which will benefit Mercedes more than Red Bull. That’s because the Mercedes has been a faster car, not just at Monza and Russia but Turkey as well, a track which was expected to suit the Red Bull car. The Silver Arrows have insisted that the increase in performance has to do with understanding their car more than any engine boost, whatever it may be, the advantage is there for all to see.

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff said “Austin is a track we like and is another opportunity but I'm under no illusion this is very much going to go to the end in the championship.” Verstappen, who spoke of Mercedes’ speed said “There are a lot of flat-out sections as well, and tyre wear is quite high, so there are a few things to look into. I think maybe at some other tracks we can maybe be a bit better, but it's never going to be very easy. The whole year already has been quite close, of course. Sometimes it looked like maybe we were a bit better but then sometimes also they were quite quick. I just hope that from the remaining races there are a few tracks, of course, or more than half, are better for us but we'll find out."

In other notable battles, Ferrari has the opportunity to overtake McLaren at the United States GP after the Scuderia took 10 points off their rivals with only 7.5 points separating the two sides. Both teams are evenly matched but McLaren may have a slight edge as the Circuit of the Americas track should compliment McLaren’s straight line speed more. However, Ferrari introduced an upgraded power unit in the last two races and could prove to be a vital factor in the results in Texas. The shrewd move by Ferrari to introduce the upgrade before the 2022 season may pay dividends for both this season and the next as the most successful Formula 1 team in history continue their pursuit to get back to where they belong - challenging for the titles.

The United States GP will be broadcasted LIVE on Monday, 25th October at 12:30 am.

Also read: Formula 1 reveals provisional race calendar for the 2022 season with record 23 races

(Motorsport news) A record number of 23 races will be held in the Formula 1 2022 season with the season kicking off in Bahrain on March 20th followed by the Saudi Arabian GP the weekend after. The world’s most premier racing competition will also return to Melbourne’s Albert Park for the first time in two years in what has traditionally been the opening race of the season.

The Chinese GP has not been featured in the 2022 calendar, instead Formula 1 will return to Emilia Romagna GP at Imola for the fourth reason after Melbourne. More excitingly, America will be hosting two Formula 1 races for the first time since 1984 with the Miami GP in May featuring an unfamiliar circuit for both drivers and fans around the Hard Rock Stadium, home to the NFL’s Miami Dolphins.

The calendar will then shift it’s attention to Europe with the Spanish and Monaco GP followed by races in Baku (Azerbaijan GP) and Montreal (Canadian GP). The British GP at Silverstone will be held on July 3rd. Two triple headers are scheduled for the 2022 season, the first being in Belgium, Netherlands and Italy just like this season and the second in Russia, Singapore and Japan.

Formula 1 will return to Marina Bay (Singapore) and Suzuka (Japan) for the first time since 2019 before concluding the season with races in the USA, Mexico, Brazil and Abu Dhabi. The 2022 Formula 1 season will end on November 20th, a day before the start of the 2022 Football World Cup in Qatar. Despite a 10 year agreement in place for a Qatar GP, the race is absent from the 2022 calendar as the deal starts from the 2023 season.

Also read: Mercedes refuse to rule out fifth engine change for Hamilton despite a possible grid penalty

On the announcement, CEO Stefano Domenicali said: "We are excited to announce the 2022 calendar as we prepare to enter a new era for the sport. This season has been incredible so far with great battles on the track, large audiences tuning in and fans returning to the races after the impact of the pandemic.

"We look forward to welcoming more fans back next season and hope 2022 feels more normal than the life we have all experienced in the past two years. We are very pleased with the interest in Formula One from places that want to host races and the growth of the sport, and believe we have a fantastic calendar for 2022 with destinations like Miami joining famous and historic venues. The pandemic is still with us, and we will therefore continue to be vigilant and safe - to protect all our personnel and the communities we visit."

Formula 1 are yet to confirm which of the 23 races will feature the Sprint format.

Provisional 2022 F1 calendar

20 March: Bahrain (Sakhir)
27 March: Saudi Arabia (Jeddah)
10 April: Australia (Melbourne)
24 April: Emilia Romagna (Imola)
8 May: Miami (Miami)
22 May: Spain (Barcelona)
29 May: Monaco (Monaco)
12 June: Azerbaijan (Baku)
19 June: Canada (Montreal)
3 July: Great Britain (Silverstone)
10 July: Austria (Spielberg)
24 July: France (Le Castellet)
31 July: Hungary (Budapest)
28 August: Belgium (Spa-Francorchamps)
4 September: Netherlands (Zandvoort)
11 September: Italy (Monza)
25 September: Russia (Sochi)
2 October: Singapore (Marina Bay)
9 October: Japan (Suzuka)
23 October: USA (Austin)
30 October: Mexico (Mexico City)
13 November: Brazil (Sao Paulo)
20 November: Abu Dhabi (Yas Marina)

Chennai, Oct 14 (Motor Sports news) JK Tyre, India's leading tyre manufacturer, has partnered with Royal Enfield for the first edition of Continental GT Cup - India's first retro racing format, which will be part of the upcoming season of JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship (JKNRC) 2021. The first round of the 24th JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship is scheduled from October 22-24 at the Kari Motor Speedway in Coimbatore, a press release said.

JKNRC continues to lead as India's flagship racing Championship for the past 24 years. The country's leading automobile companies including Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai Motor India, General Motors and Suzuki Motorcycles have participated in the championship over the years. As Royal Enfield joins the bandwagon in its 24th year, the Championship is set to host the maiden round of Continental GT Cup. The track-spec Continental GT-R650 has minimalistic, yet purpose-built performance modifications which offer an un-intimidating, agile and spirited performance on track, the release said.

According to Srinivasu Allaphan, Director - Sales & Marketing, JK Tyre & Industries, "Being the pioneers of promoting motorsport in India, JK Tyre has been at the forefront in formalising the Indian racing programmes and nurturing young talent in the country...our partnership with Royal Enfield for Continental GT Cup adds another feather to our hat. We are confident that it will definitely give an added fillip to the ever-growing popularity of motorsport in India." 

Also Read : Hero MotorSports Team finishes in top-10 in Morocco Rally

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Oct 14 (Motor Sports news) Monster Energy Honda driver Pablo Quintanilla saw off his rivals to claim both stage and race victories on the final day of the Rallye du Maroc (Rally of Morocco).

The Hero MotoSports team also concluded their campaign on a high with a top-10 finish in the overall rankings.

After only five months with his new outfit, the Chilean Quintanilla clinched his first race victory aboard the Honda CRF450 RALLY.

The occasion also marked Quintanilla's maiden win in Morocco as he got back to winning ways after the 2019 Atacama Rally. The team tally now lies at three stage wins in Morocco.

"The forecast in Misano is looking hot so we know that we will have to work to improve to be closer to our Silverstone performance than our performance in Aragon," Quintanilla was quoted as saying in a media release.

"We have been making improvements in this area, but we need to keep on working to show our potential and the potential of the bike." Quintanilla started in a fine position from which he attacked Mathias Walkner’s lead. He held a sufficiently strong pace to allow him to fulfil this main mission and capture the final stage.

The other Monster Energy Honda driver, Ricky Brabec was unable to whittle down the gap separating him from his rivals in the general standings and in spite of finishing runner-up on the final day, narrowly missed out on a podium place.

Joan Barreda was also able to battle his way to finishing sixth on the day and 11th in the general standings while Chilean rider José Ignacio Cornejo was 10th overall.

For Hero MotoSports, Joaquim Rodrigues, who won the Prologue stage, was rewarded with an eighth place in the overall rankings.

“It was a good rally for me and I am really happy with my performance. All the teams here are testing for the Dakar and our bike is performing well against the competition," Rodrigues said.

Franco Caimi achieved two top-5 stage finishes during the rally. However, the technical troubles that he faced in the earlier stages cost him a good overall finish. He rode a measured stage 5, finishing in the 13th position.

Sebastian Buhler finished in the top-10 in this final stage of the rally. However, he too lost positions in the overall rankings due to his technical issues earlier. The highlight of the rally for him was his resurgent run to achieve a second-place finish in Stage 3.

Stage 5 of the rally, initially set to run for 290km, was cut short to 166km. Overall, during the rally, competitors covered over 1500km of race distance.

With the Rallye du Maroc completed, the teams now set their sights on the 44th edition of Dakar Rally, scheduled to start from Ha’il, Saudi Arabia on January 2.

Also Read : Hero MotorSports Team finishes in top-10 in Morocco Rally

News Source : PTI

London (Motorsports news): Extreme E has announced its upcoming event which will be known as the Enel X Island X Prix, as they will be receiving title support from its Official Smart Charging Partner.

Italian-based Enel X joined hands with Extreme E earlier this year, using the series to develop and test new innovations by providing charging technology as well as the JuicePump 40 Race Edition. The company is the innovative business line of Enel and has a strong past in the energy industry working across sustainability, digitalisation and innovation.

 

Alejandro Agag, Founder and CEO of Extreme E, said: “I’m delighted Enel X has extended our partnership to become headline sponsor of this event. The brand is already supporting the series through its charging technology, which is invaluable as we showcase new innovations in electric motorsport.

 

“It made perfect sense to select our first European event in its home country to bolster its support for the series. As a brand, Enel X is at the forefront of charging technology, which is essential for the planet if we are to reduce carbon emissions, 30 percent of which is attributed to travel.”

 

Francesco Venturini, CEO of Enel X, said: “As title sponsor of the Island X Prix, we at Enel X are pleased to support Sardinia with legacy projects as evidence of our commitment to making concrete contributions to the region, which Enel X is paying particular attention to through its projects aimed at encouraging the electrification of energy use.

 

“We will continue to bring our technological expertise to help explore the full potential of electric mobility, a key element in our mission to fight climate change and accelerate the energy transition.”

 

The Enel X Island X Prix will take place in the Army Training area at Capo Teulada in Sulcis-Iglesiente, an historic area in the South-West of Sardinia. It will feature two action packed days of racing from some of the biggest names in the sport including Sébastien Loeb, Carlos Sainz Snr., the Hansen brothers of Rallycross fame, Catie Munnings, Molly Taylor, Laia Sanz plus motorsport heavyweights behind the scenes in the form of team owners Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg and Jenson Button.

 

The championship’s Legacy Programmes will target green and coastal blue carbon, which is the carbon captured and stored by terrestrial ecosystems and vegetated coastal ecosystems respectively, working with MEDSEA, including the recovery response to this year’s devastating forest fires in Sardinia, as well as restoration and conservation of Posidonia Oceanica (seagrass).

 

In addition, leading scientists including local and global will be involved in a series of seminars highlighting climate change issues and solutions, one of which is decarbonisation, which Enel X is at the heart of with its chargers for electric vehicles of today and the future.

 

The Enel Group is also coming to the championship with the Group’s non-profit organisation Enel Foundation, which has been one of Extreme E’s Founding Scientific Partners since July 2020.

 

Also read: Season 1 finale ‘the Jurassic X Prix’ to be held at UK

New Delhi, Oct 14 (Motor Sports news) Hero MotoSports team concluded their Rallye du Maroc (Rally of Morocco) campaign with a top-10 finish in the overall rankings.

Joaquim Rodrigues, who won the Prologue stage, was rewarded with an eighth place in the overall rankings.

“It was a good rally for me and I am really happy with my performance. All the teams here are testing for the Dakar and our bike is performing well against the competition," Rodrigues said in a media release.

Franco Caimi achieved two top-5 stage finishes during the rally. However, the technical troubles that he faced in the earlier stages cost him a good overall finish. He rode a measured stage 5, finishing in the 13th position.

"This race had a lot of learnings for me, and some technical difficulties as well. From here, we will keep working together on solutions and preparing for the biggest race of the year, the Dakar Rally,” Caimi said.

Sebastian Buhler finished in the top-10 in this final stage of the rally. However, he too lost positions in the overall rankings due to his technical issues earlier. The highlight of the rally for him was his resurgent run to achieve a second-place finish in Stage 3.

Stage 5 of the rally, initially set to run for 290km, was cut short to 166km. Overall, during the rally, competitors covered over 1500km of race distance.

With the Rallye du Maroc completed, the teams now set their sights on the 44th edition of Dakar Rally, scheduled to start from Ha’il, Saudi Arabia on January 2.

Also Read : Rahil Shetty beats Rajini, Jagan to notch win in national racing meet

News Source : PTI

(Motorsport news) With only six races to go, Max Verstappen is currently leading the Drivers Championship after finishing second at the Turkish Grand Prix while Hamilton finished in fifth position. The British racing driver incurred a grid penalty after a fourth Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) change with the limit being three, ultimately resulting in a less than ideal finish at Istanbul Park. With the United States GP around the corner, it may come as a surprise that Team Principal Toto Wolff has not ruled out the possibility of a fifth engine change already to ensure reliability.

In an interview with Sky Sports, Wolff said “We had to do it, we saw some data on the Internal Combustion unit that didn't look very promising and a DNF is a total killer for the championship. We've seen over the course of the season that we've had some little gremlins that we weren't completely sure where they came from and how much performance they could potentially cost, so we'd rather have a new engine in the pool and that we understand that can possibly go longer.”

Mercedes have been by far the most reliable constructors in the hybrid era and Toto Wolff has admitted that due to some ‘unusual sounds’ coming from Hamilton’s engine, the team has been working towards preventing such issues in the future. "I think we understand much better now where the root cause lies and it's something that can happen from time to time if you just have a material issue, a batch problem and these are the things you need to consider," explained Wolff.

Hamilton’s teammate Valtteri Bottas is already on his fifth power unit and Toto Wolff has not ruled out the possibility of Hamilton going the same way if there is risk involved in using the fourth ICE component. "It [fourth ICE] can last until the end of the season but there could be a moment where we say is it worth taking a fresh one because the other one is still at risk," said Wolff.

Mercedes’ cautious approach in ensuring the car remains reliable for the remainder of the season might be a controversial strategy, especially considering that a grid penalty at this stage of the season might give Verstappen and Red Bull the advantage they need to get out of Mercedes’ sights. Principal of Red Bull Racing Christian Horner has made no such claims and it’s likely that Verstappen will finish the season with the existing set up irrespective of reliability concerns than risk a penalty.

The action is set to resume at the United States GP on Monday, 25th October at 12:30 am IST.

Also read: Max Verstappen retakes Drivers Championship lead over Lewis Hamilton as Valtteri Bottas wins rain affected Turkish Grand Prix

(Motorsport news) Williams’ new eco-friendly strategy is set to be the ‘pace setter in global motorsport’ as the team have pledged to become ‘climate positive’ by 2030 and have also become the first Formula 1 team to sign the UN Sports for Climate Action Framework. 

With Formula 1 already aiming to achieve net zero-carbon footprint by 2030, Williams’ aim to become ‘climate positive’ focuses on removing excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. As part of its sustainability strategy, Williams lists five pillars that include reduction of carbon emissions while travelling, preserving biodiversity of Williams’ 60-acre campus, sustainable innovation such as lifecycle management of racing cars, providing access to the sport for all and becoming a pace setter in these areas. Williams have teamed up with specialist sustainability agency Enovation Consulting to achieve their goals.

Williams Chief Executive Jost Capito said “We have taken time to thoroughly analyse our entire operation and develop a comprehensive purpose-driven sustainability strategy to accelerate our sustainable transformation. So today we are making the commitment to be climate positive by 2030 and we will be using our knowledge to nurture and develop advanced technology to meet this goal.

“Formula 1 has the power to inspire millions across the world. As the pinnacle of so many advanced technologies, it can also create technical solutions to help tackle the challenges we face. My hope is that Williams Racing can inspire all those connected with our sport and beyond, using motorsport as a catalyst for significant and long-lasting change”, said Capito.

The move by Williams is a step in the right direction to demonstrate that Formula 1 can remain viable in the distant future. It also opens up the possibility that the most premier motorsport event in the world can become as sustainable, if not more so, than Formula E. Williams Racing has already achieved FIA three star environmental accreditation, an achievement in itself for the British motorsport team.

Also read: Max Verstappen retakes Drivers Championship lead over Lewis Hamilton as Valtteri Bottas wins rain affected Turkish Grand Prix

(Motorsports news) London: Extreme E, the sport for purpose electric off-road racing series, has today said that its Season 1 finale, ‘the Jurassic X Prix’ will take place in Bovington, in the UK’s South Coast county of Dorset, on 18-19 December 2021.

 

Alejandro Agag, Extreme E Founder and CEO, said: “I’m very excited by this race location – our first event on UK soil. This move is a poignant shift in our mission to race in remote, far-away places to highlight the effects of climate change, as more increasingly, the issues we talk about are literally happening in our backyards so it felt like the right time to bring the spotlight home, and help the army reduce its own carbon footprint.

 

“The world needs to move forward when it comes to the combustion engine and many other practices, and what better way to symbolise that than with a Jurassic themed X Prix. Unless we push forward with climate and sustainability action, certain species risk becoming extinct, and that is something we simply cannot ignore any longer.”

 

Bovington is a famous British Army military base and is just off the Jurassic Coastline. Extreme E is working intensely with the British Ministry of Defence and Army which has recently revealed its climate change and sustainability strategy. The strategy combines the mitigation of environmental impact while at the same time maintaining military output. It will do this by reducing emissions and charging up the transition to renewables, thus contributing to the UK’s aim to be net zero by 2050. The changes have already been implemented with the Army piloting electric armoured vehicles and carbon efficient accommodation.

 

Major General Simon Hutchings OBE said: “The British Army prides itself on its ability to conduct operations in all environments, adapting and developing its skills as required. The opportunity to work alongside Extreme E who are world leaders in electrification of vehicles and sustainable energy production is very exciting. It will enable us to share innovative ideas which will allow the Army to continue to gain technology advantage globally, whilst also contributing to our climate and sustainability targets.” 

 

The race will be thrilling as ever with a course designed to include natural obstacles putting the all-electric ODYSSEY 21 through its paces to be the best in the eventual winning combination of car, team and driver. Each team has both male and female drivers who will complete a lap each with a Driver Switch built into the format. With points up for grabs throughout the race weekend, some of the best drivers in the world in addition to the instant speed of all-electric mobility, the concluding X Prix is set to be a showstopper.

 

Jenson Button, JBXE Team Principal said: “It is brilliant news that Extreme E's Season finale will be held in the UK. I’ve been lucky enough to race on UK soil a number of times throughout my career and those memories will always be incredibly special to me.

 

“Heading off-road at Bovington will be a totally different experience but equally as special as I’ll be the one watching and supporting Kevin and Mikaela and the rest of the JBXE team as we push for a strong finish to the season. After back-to-back podiums, if we can carry that form into Sardinia and put ourselves in the mix for the final race then we could be in store for an amazing finish!”

 

Extreme E is a partner to the UN’s Race to Zero campaign as well as Count Us In, which challenges its fans to take actions which reduce their own carbon footprints. These collaborations are all focusing on tackling the global climate crisis and with road transport currently accounting for 75 percent of the global emissions. Accelerating the move to clean mobility by 2030, in line with government goals, is key to success. 

 

Nigel Topping, UK High Level Champion for Climate Action at COP26, who also leads Race to Zero, said: “Extreme E provides an incredible platform for accelerating  the clean mobility transition and driving awareness for the climate solutions we can, and must all adopt. 

 

“The Jurassic X Prix follows COP26 and provides further opportunity for the UK to keep crucial momentum, which is imperative if we are to succeed in our goal to limit global temperature rise to 1.5C. The shift to zero emission vehicles will hugely help reach that goal and Extreme E demonstrates the capabilities of electric vehicles, but also their associated technologies. It also uses the powerful platform of sport to engage its fanbase to take steps to reduce their own carbon footprint.”    

 

Extreme E will continue with its Legacy Programme format which will try to leave a long-lasting positive impact in each country in which it races, with exact details to be released in the weeks leading up to the end of year event. Not only that, the thought leadership workshops are set to continue, and will be there to view online once the event is over.

 

Also read: Sustainability Title goes to Extreme E at Leaders Sports Awards

(Motorsport news) Mercedes AMG’s Valtteri Bottas ended his 2021 drought with a dominant performance at Istanbul Park that saw the Flying Finn lead in almost every lap of the race and finish first past the chequered flag, comfortably ahead of 2nd place Max Verstappen. The Dutchman was 2 points behind Lewis Hamilton approaching the race weekend but his 2nd place finish while Hamilton finished 5th means Verstappen is now 6 points ahead of the seven time World Champion with six races to go.

Hamilton started the race in 11th place after incurring a grid penalty for exceeding the engine replacements but was in a respectable third position before being called in to pit by Mercedes with eight laps to go. The British racing driver had earlier refused to pit and had the aim of finishing the race with the same set of Intermediate tyres he had to maintain his grid position. However, Mercedes’ call for a pit stop cost Hamilton two places as both Sergio Perez and Charles Leclerc finished above Hamilton who was struggling to keep Pierre Gasly at bay once he rejoined the race.

Charles Leclerc of Ferrari also attempted to finish the race in the same set of Intermediate tyres but the wet conditions of Istanbul Park meant that the Monegasque driver struggled with grip and was easily overtaken by Valtteri Bottas. The Ferrari driver then pitted, only to be overtaken by Sergio Perez for the final podium finish while Leclerc finished fourth. Pierre Gasly finished sixth despite having a five second penalty for a collision with Fernando Alonso in the first corner. Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz put up a majestic performance as the Spaniard started in 19th position due to an engine penalty but finished in eighth.

Sebastian Vettel and Aston Martin had a bizarre pit stop strategy in which a set of medium tyres were installed and struggled with grip in the wet conditions of Istanbul Park. The German was then forced into the pits again for a set of wet tyres which resulted in the four time World Champion finishing the race in 18th position. Esteban Ocon was the only driver on the grid who finished the race on the same set of Intermediate tyres and finished in a respectable 10th position despite struggling towards the end of the race.

With only six more races to go, Formula 1 will now move to the United States Grand Prix on 25th October from 12:30 am IST onwards.

Also read: Sustainability Title goes to Extreme E at Leaders Sports Awards

Nuremberg (Germany), Oct 10 (Motor Sports news) Indian racer Arjun Maini on Sunday made history during the first race of the 2021 DTM Championship’s season finale when he claimed the second place at the Norisring race circuit.

The result made him the first Indian to stand on a DTM podium.

The Omega Seiki and J K Tyre backed driver was rewarded for the pace he has shown throughout the season with the Indian managing to hold off a strong challenge from championship leader Liam Lawson towards the end of the race.

Going into the weekend, Maini was able to make full use of his prior knowledge of the Norisring race circuit from his Formula 3 days.

The Indian finished second in Free Practice 2 before qualifying fourth for the weekend’s first race.

While the Indian was overtaken by Mercedes stablemate Maximillian Gotz at the start, he managed to keep out of major trouble, despite banging wheels with Lawson and mildly damaging his front right suspension.

It took Maini many laps to get used to the damage and yet retain a reasonable pace.

A cleanly executed pitstop aided the Indian’s effort, with Maini leapfrogging Lawson and settling in behind Gotz, a position he would go on to maintain for the remainder of the race.

"I’m absolutely delighted with the result. We’ve worked so hard throughout the year and while our qualifying pace has been good, we’ve never been able to stitch together a clean race. Today was just one of those days where everything came together," Maini said.

“We have one more race to go tomorrow so I won’t be celebrating too much, but I have to say it feels good to finally achieve my aim for the season.” 

Also Read : DTM Championship: Driving error costs Maini podium in Hockenheim

News source : PTI

Chennai, Oct 9 (Motor Sports) Hyderabad rider Rahil Shetty (Gusto Racing) and K Y Ahamed (TVS Racing) recorded wins in the two premier Pro-stock categories on an action-packed day in the third round of the MRF MMSC FMSCI National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2021, at the MMRT at nearby Sriperumbudur on Saturday.

The 23-year old Rahil Shetty marked his comeback after a season’s absence with a superb win in the Pro-stock 301-400cc category ahead of veteran Rajini Krishnan (RACR Castrol Power Racing), the championship leader in this category, and TVS Racing’s Deepak Ravikumar.

Ahamed registered his first win of the season in this category as he finished in front of team-mates Deepak Ravikumar and defending champion Jagan Kumar for a podium sweep for TVS Racing.

Earlier, Rockstar Racing’s Anfal Akdhar from Thrissur, registered his second win of the season in the Novice (Stock 165cc) category that had a grid of 38 riders.

Rahil, who missed the 2020 season due to family business commitments, rode a near flawless race on a KTM 390 starting from his maiden pole position in this category to beat a high-quality field.

Later, Ahamed, who had lost the championship to Jagan Kumar last season by just one point, survived a contact with pole-sitter Deepak Ravikumar on the very first lap, but staged a remarkable recovery to move to the front of the pack. Thereafter, Ahamed held off Ravikumar and Jagan for a fine win.

Idemitsu Honda SK69 Racing’s Rajiv Sethu, starting from P3 following this morning’s qualifying session, yielded ground and lost a close battle to Jagan to finish fourth.

Earlier, in a battle between two riders from Thrissur in the Novice (Stock 165cc) category, Anfal Akdhar snatched a thrilling, last gasp win over Allwin Xavier (Sparks Racing) with just 500th of a second separating the two on the finish line after trailing the leader for much of the six-lapper. Finishing some four seconds behind the pair was Hubballi’s Sarvesh Balappa (Sparks Racing).

Results (Provisional – 6 laps unless mentioned): National Championship – Pro-stock 301-400cc Open (Race-1): 1. Rahil Shetty (Gusto Racing, Hyderabad) (11mins, 18.000secs); 2. Rajini Krishnan (RACR Castrol Power Racing, Chennai) (11:18.246); 3. Deepak Ravikumar (TVS Racing) (11:18.340).

Prostock 165cc Open (Race-1): 1. Ahmed KY (TVS Racing, Chennai) (11:44.563); 2. Deepak Ravikumar (TVS Racing, Chennai) (11:44.697); 3. Jagan Kumar (TVS Racing, Chennai) (11:45.057).

Novice (Stock 165cc) Race-1: 1. Anfal Akdhar (Rockstar Racing, Thrissur) (13:03.524); 2. Allwin Xavier (Sparks Racing, Thrissur) (13:03.577); 3. Sarvesh Balappa (Sparks Racing, Hubballi) (13:07.658).

One-Make Championship organised by MMSC: Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup – NSF 250R (Race-1): 1. Sarthak Chavan (Pune) (11:10.598); 2. Kevin Quintal (Chennai) (11:10.751); 3. Mohsin Peramban (Malappuram) (11:12.621).

Honda Novice (CBR 150): 1. Ikshan Shanbhag (Satara) (13:10.362); 2. Prakash Kamat (Bokaro Steel City) (13:10.401); 3. Theopaul Leander (Chennai) (13:19.412).

Honda Hornet 2.0 (Race-1): 1. Kevin Kannan (Chennai) (13:24.412); 2. Alwin Sundar (Chennai) (13:25.148); 3. Ullas Santrupt Nanda (Chennai) (13:25.661).

TVS Rookie (Apache RTR 200) Race-1: 1. Shreyas Hareesh (Bengaluru) (12:50.036); 2. Vignesh Goud (Hyderabad) (12:50.143); 3. Jinendra Kiran Sangave (Kolhapur) (12:50.220).

TVS Girls (Apache RTR 200, 5 laps): 1. Rakshita Dave (Chennai) (11:21.032); 2. Adlin Seles (Chennai) (11:21.720); 3. Aditi Krishnan (Bengaluru) (11:22.140).

Also Read : Alwin Sundar shines; Deepak Ravikumar, Rajiv Sethu top free practice sessions

News Source : PTI

(Motorsport news) With the Formula 1 action shifted to Istanbul Park, all eyes will be on Hamilton’s Mercedes and Verstappen’s Red Bull with only two points separating the drivers and seven races to go. Despite incurring a grid penalty, Lewis Hamilton has been the fastest in FP1 and FP2 practice sessions on Friday followed by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc 0.166s behind while Verstappen is currently languishing in fifth place.

Hamilton has looked thoroughly in control in both the practice sessions and set the fastest time and track record in FP2 on Friday with a 1:23.804 on soft tyres while Verstappen struggled to control his car on the tricky Istanbul track. However, the British racing driver faced an old and familiar foe in Ferrari as the other dominant car on the track as Charles Leclerc followed Hamilton closely behind, only a tenth off the pace. The Monegasque driver was sandwiched between the two Mercedes cars as Valtteri Bottas finished the practice session in third place followed by Red Bull’s Sergio Perez in fourth and Max Verstappen in fifth.

Happy with how the practice sessions went, Hamilton said “I didn't really know what to expect today when we went out there but, jeez, there was so much more grip than we've had before. It's intense how much grip there was, which was awesome. We started with a really good set-up. I don't know how much more there is.”

Championship rival Verstappen said “We've got a bit of an evening ahead to make it a bit better because today wasn't the best of days.” Red Bull’s Team boss Christian Horner admitted “We have a balance mish-mash at the moment, we just need to understand the issue. We have a good car and it's just about getting into that performance window - l don't think we hit that today."

However, it seemed that Verstappen was not the only one struggling to control his car as long gusts of wind forced Nicholas Latifi to spin while Lando Norris was also forced wide. The 21 year old British racing driver finished behind Verstappen in sixth position and ahead of Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon of Alpine while Norris’ teammate Daniel Ricciardo finished 12th. Pierre Gasly suffered from understeer throughout the practice session and finished ninth while Antonio Giovinazzi finished 10th in the Alfa Romeo. Both the Aston Martin’s of Lance Stroll and Sebastian Vettel finished 13th and 16th respectively while the Williams and Haas cars occupied the last four spots.

Also read: Carlos Sainz Jr. to start at the back of the grid at Turkish GP due to Ferrari’s power unit upgrade

Chennai, Oct 8 (Motor sports) Chennai collegian Alwin Sundar (AS Motorsports) took the pole position in the Novice (Stock 165cc) category as the third round of the MRF MMSC FMSCI National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2021 began at the MMRT at nearby Sriperumbudur on Friday.

The 19-year-old Sundar, who leads the championship standings in the Novice category following a double in the first round in August, overcame a shaky start in the qualifying session but recovered to post the fastest lap.

Meanwhile, TVS Racing’s Deepak Ravikumar (01:52.567) and Jagan Kumar (01:52.627) were among the quickest riders in the free practice session in the premier Pro-stock 301-400cc category with championship leader Rajini Krishnan (RACR Castrol Power Racing) just behind them.

Later, Idemitsu Honda SK69 Racing's Rajiv Sethu set the pace in the Pro-stock 165cc category during the free practice session by topping the time sheets with a hot lap of 01:56.344, ahead of TVS Racing pair of defending champion Jagan Kumar (01:56.405) and KY Ahamed (01:57.070). The close competition between Honda and TVS riders has produced several nail-biting finishes and this weekend's double-header promises more of the same.

In the Girls (Novice, Stock 165cc) category, championship leader Ryhana Bee (RACR) from Chennai was the quickest in Free Practice followed by defending champion Ann Jennifer (Sparks Racing) who is still to score a point this season.

In the qualifying sessions for the One-Make Championship organised by the MMSC, Puducherry’s Navaneeth Kumar (TVS RR 310 Open), Rakshita Dave from Chennai (TVS Girls, RTR 200) and Prakash Kamat from Bokaro Steel City (Idemitsu Honda Talent Cup, Novice, CBR 150), qualified for pole positions in their respective categories.

Also Read : Focus on Rajini, Jagan in third round of national motorcycle racing championship

News Source : PTI

London, (Motorsports news): Extreme E, the pioneering sport for purpose, have been rewarded with The Sustainability title at the prestigious Leaders Sports ceremony held at Twickenham Stadium.

 

The category is set out to recognise organisations that use sport as a catalyst to promote and combat environmental and ecological issues within society, using sport as a vehicle to spread awareness and initiate changes.

 

This is something central to Extreme E which, in its first season, has successfully shown a new way to deliver motorsport events in a sustainable fashion through all-electric vehicles and zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell car charging. The championship also powers its paddock with a second-life battery, utilising a ship to transport its freight in order to reduce carbon emissions all while inspiring fans to take actions to reduce their carbon footprint through its Extreme E Count Us In Challenge.

 

Julia Fry, Head of Communications at Extreme E, said: “We are delighted to win this accolade from Leaders Sports, an organisation which recognises the strongest players in the industry. As our first award, in our inaugural season this will always be very special, and we are honoured to receive this huge endorsement for our efforts to create the most sustainable motorsport championship possible.

 

“Our thanks must go out to our supporting agencies at Aurora Worldwide Media, North One, NEP, Interstate Creative Partners and MPA Creative, who have all played a huge role in our success. I would also like to thank our partners for their faith and vision at the beginning of the championship journey, with special thanks to Philipp von Hirschheydt of Continental, Rodrigo Barjas Amado of Niobium, Tommaso Buti of LUISAVIAROMA, Marc Coltelli of EY and Julien Tornare of Zenith, for believing in this series from the start.

 

“This is just the start of the journey and there is far more to come yet.”

 

The series was up against some tough competition including Formula One, Southampton Football Club, and Formula E.

 

Extreme E has future targets around climate change, they are planning to raise awareness of the issues faced globally and inspire action, while also promoting the benefits of clean mobility. It works with its own Scientific Committee made up of world-renowned academics that inform the series and help select long-lasting positive Legacy Programmes at each race location, and  have included planting one million mangroves in Senegal. In addition, climate education in collaboration with UNICEF in Greenland.

 

The penultimate X Prix, the Island X Prix will take place in Sardinia, Italy from 23-24 October.

 

Also read:  Extreme E releases their calendar for 2022 season

Chennai, Oct 7 (Motor Sports) The frontrunners will be aiming to consolidate their positions in the third round of the MRF MMSC FMSCI National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2021 which will be held at the MMRT track at nearby Sriperumbudur on Friday.

Much of the attention in this weekend's 19-race card that will be gone through with Covid-19 safety restrictions in place, would be on the two premier Pro-Stock Open categories, the 301-400cc and 165cc, dominated by the pair of Chennai stars, Rajini Krishnan (RACR Castrol Power Racing) and Jagan Kumar (TVS Racing), respectively, both having won three of the four races over two rounds so far.

Also, two other riders from Chennai, collegian Alwin Sundar (AS Motorsports) and Ryhana Bee (RACR Castrol Power Racing) head the championship standings in the Novice and Girls categories (Stock 165cc), respectively. Sundar, with two wins from four starts, enjoys a two-point lead over Thrissur's Anfal Akdhar (Rockstar Racing). Ryhana, having won both races, leads by 20 points over her nearest rivals.

A clutch of teenagers have been making waves in the One-Make Championship organised by MMSC. Kolhapur's Jinendra Kiran Sangave, only 12 years old, and local rider Rakshita Srihari Dave, 13, remain unbeaten in the TVS Rookie and Girls categories (both Apache RTR 200), respectively, while experienced Amarnath Menon, with two wins, heads the TVS Open class (Apache RR 310).

In the Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup, Chennai schoolboy Kavin Quintal, with four wins from as many starts, and Bokaro Steel City’s Prakash Kamat (two wins) lead the points table in the Honda NSF 250R and Honda CBR 150 categories, respectively.

Also Read : Hemanth Mudappa breaks National Drag Racing record

News Source : PTI

(Motorsport news) Carlos Sainz Jr. will be starting the Turkish Grand Prix from the back of the grid due to penalties incurred for exceeding his engine allocation. Ferrari will install a new power unit with the new hybrid system in the Spaniard’s car, the same upgrade as Charles Leclerc who started at the back of the grid at the Russian Grand Prix.

The Monegasque driver received his upgrade before teammate Carlos Sainz Jr. because Ferrari had concerns that his engine store was damaged during a crash at the Hungarian Grand Prix as well as not wanting both the drivers to incur grid penalties at the same race. Sainz had an impressive Russian Grand Prix at the Sochi Autodrom, finishing in third position behind Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. It remains to be seen how many positions the Spaniard climbs through the race in Istanbul Park but Ferrari have reaffirmed that it is “a step” in performance.

In a preview by Ferrari ahead of the Turkish GP, the team said “As was the case for Charles Leclerc in Russia, in Turkey Carlos Sainz will take a completely new power unit fitted with the new hybrid system, therefore he will start from the back of the grid with the aim of climbing up the order to try and score some points.”

Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto will not be in attendance during the Turkish GP, instead he will be at the Maranello factory focusing on the development of the 2022 car. "He will of course follow all sessions and the race from the Remote Garage, with a permanent link to the team at Istanbul Park," the team said.

Ferrari have slipped further behind in the Constructors Championship and are currently in fourth with 216.5 points while McLaren are in third position at 234 points. Red Bull Racing are at 364.5 points while Mercedes lead the pack with 397.5 points. Lewis Hamilton is currently two points ahead of Max Verstappen in the Drivers Championship but may incur a penalty if Mercedes consider an engine replacement.

Also read: Lewis Hamilton may start at the back of the grid at Turkish GP as Mercedes consider engine change

(Motorsports news) Last year FIA announced the use of E10 biofuels which is a mixture of 90% fossil fuel and 10% ethanol in the 2022 new cars but the new target is to develop and utilise low carbon synthetic fuels to reduce the carbon emission in the planet and also develop a 100% sustainable fuel. 

Formula 1 announced that it is targeting the wholesale of synthetic fuels by 2025 by partnering with car manufacturers and energy companies to develop and mass produce biofuels that will contribute to f1’s net zero emission target by 2030. F1 wants to adopt a more carbon friendly ecosystem both for the car as well as the racing environment to promote people towards less carbon emission. These biofuels will be manufactured with techniques that will incorporate carbon capture, municipal waste and biomass method of production offsetting the carbon emitted in the F1 car engines. F1 aims to reduce at least 65% less carbon emission as other steps are being taken for the net zero carbon emission project by 2030.

The fuel drop would mean that engines do not require any specific modifications in order to be compatible while also matching the high speed action that we see in the sport nowadays. The FIA governing body has already developed a F1 engine which meets the demand of the carbon neutral biofuel but it is only in the testing phase and will require a lot of time to attain the same level of the turbo hybrid engines that F1 cars use nowadays.

While this is a long term project, it's a step in the right direction for the betterment of the environment and through F1 it helps put out a right message to the world. Companies like Porsche and Audi have already expressed interest in synthetic fuels for normal cars but also joining in F1 as an engine supplier should the series switch to sustainable biofuels.The FIA have already taken major steps in reducing Carbon emission since they introduced Formula E in 2014 and want to continue the same with F1 in future of the sport.

Also read: Audi and Porsche set for Formula 1 arrival in 2026 as Mercedes and Red Bull welcome the move

 F1 Chief Technical Officer Pat Symonds explained: "We're not producing any CO2 that is not already in the atmosphere at the moment; we're taking it out of the atmosphere, we're using it, and we're putting it back in the atmosphere. F1 expects the new fuel to achieve greenhouse-gas-emissions savings of at least 65 percent, compared to traditional gasoline.”

On being asked why is it important outside F1 he added by saying “The techniques that we will hone and make more efficient and mainstream to produce our fuels are exactly the same techniques that can produce the fuel for trucks, for trains, for aircraft, even if those fuels are slightly different. An aircraft fuel for a gas turbine engine is a bit different to our fuel, but the technique of making it is essentially the same.”

 

(Motorsports news) Marc Marquez went on to win his seventh race in eight years at the Circuit of Americas in Austin Texas after finishing ahead of world championship leader Fabio Quartararo and Pecco Bagnaia. This means that Fabio would have the opportunity to wrap up the world title when they head to Misano in two weeks time.

Marquez had qualified third as Pecco Bagnaia claimed his third successive pole in as many races but heading into the first corner Marquez had snatched the holeshot from the front row and quickly took the lead of the race. In doing so, Bagnaia fell to sixth as Quartararo and Marquez set the pace up front in the early stages, Jorge Martin the rookie tried to overtake Fabio but the Yamaha rider held firm to hold his position. All the riders chose the hard front tyre as Jack Miller was the only one to go with the hard rear tyre, this move paid off for him as the riders in front of him with soft rears were struggling a lot which eventually made him move all the way to fifth. Up front the signs were ominous as Marquez slowly and steadily built a gap of four seconds ahead of Quartarao who took little risk chasing down the king of COTA.

In the end Marquez finished 4.7 seconds ahead of Fabio Quartararo, which means this is only the second victory of the season for the 6 time world champion after making an injury comeback this season. Although Marquez is not at his best form, the signs for next season are ominous as he looks to break Valentino Rossi’s record of 9 premier class world championships. As for this season Fabio Quartararo can wrap the world title with a victory at Misano as he has got 254 points, extending his lead over Pecco Bagnaia in second place who has 202 points. The battle for the constructor championship is also heating up between Ducati and Yamaha as they are separated by only 9 points with 3 races remaining.

Also read: Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia wins San Marino GP after fending off Fabio Quartararo

During the podium media conference Márquez said “I pushed hard only three or four laps, then when I saw the gap was increasing I was able to ride in [two minutes] 4.8, four-high at a constant pace, with some margin, I had the margin to be a little bit faster. This is the first race this year that I came to with the intention of fighting for victory. I said that already in the press conference on Thursday. The weekend was good – Friday was really good, Saturday so-so, but today was better. I need to keep working and keep pushing because the special feeling with the bike is still not there”. 
 

(Motorsport news) With only two points separating Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, the title race is heating up with every race and is about to get even more interesting. Mercedes have hinted at the possibility of a possible engine penalty for Hamilton at the Turkish GP as they look to replace their third engine of the season (the maximum permitted) to ensure reliability with seven races still remaining for the season.

Title rivals Red Bull and Max Verstappen were in a similar situation at the Russian GP and looked to make the best out of a bad situation as their Dutch racing driver had incurred a three place grid penalty after his collision with Hamilton at Monza. Team Principal of Red Bull Racing Christian Horner along with others in the Red Bull team used that opportunity to replace the engine which meant that Verstappen started at the back of the grid at 20th but still finished in second place behind Lewis Hamilton. This meant that Red Bull’s strategy of damage control paid dividends as only two points separate the two drivers as Formula 1 heads to Istanbul Park.

Speaking about the possibility of an engine change, Toto Wolff said “It's a possibility, when, and how, is not yet decided. Most important is that you don't DNF because of a reliability issue, you can cope with swings, whether you finish second, third, I think that is OK, the championship is going to go long, but if you don't finish...so we are looking at the parameters of the engines, making sure we don't suffer from any reliability problems. Lewis has been tremendous there, but we have to take each race at a time. It's so difficult, the cars are so close. I'm curious to see how this championship evolves."

The Turkish GP is expected to be a wet race, similar to last year in which Hamilton clinched his seventh World Championship. The British racing driver is looking for a record eighth title which will put him ahead of the legendary Michael Schumacher but Max Verstappen stands in his way in the closest title race that we have seen in years. Hamilton has admitted that Mercedes has not taken advantage to move clear of title rivals Red Bull and Verstappen, particularly at Monza and Sochi. He said “It's not only the two races, there's been plenty of races where we've not maximised, as a team, collectively, both drivers and everyone but we're still in a fight and we can continue to improve.

"There are definitely things that we will try and do better moving forwards but we just won't give up, we'll just keep trying, keep pushing, remain hopeful and just do the work. Well, undoubtedly it's going to be tough,  think, for two thirds of the season so far they've had the edge. However, it's obviously been difficult with all sorts of things, curve balls sent to both of us and our teams. There's still everything to play for in these next races. I think they've got a good set of circuits coming up and I anticipate or just continue to be really close between us. Just got to be hopeful of some good races."

With the remaining tracks expected to favor Red Bull, it will perhaps be in Mercedes’ best interests to incur the engine penalty at the Turkish Grand Prix. It’s also important to note that this year has a 22 race schedule, the longest in Formula 1 history with no increase in components allowance compared to previous seasons. Hamilton switched to his 3rd and final penalty free engine at the Belgian Grand Prix and lost one of his older engines at a practice session during the Dutch Grand Prix, which means that if Mercedes are serious about a title charge, it is likely that a fourth engine is on the cards.

However, with Hamilton having done well at the Turkish Grand Prix last season, Toto Wolff might opt for a different race to incur an engine penalty where Mercedes would be at a disadvantage anyway, a strategy that was also employed by Red Bull during the Russian Grand Prix. According to F1 regulations, each team can have 3 internal combustion engines, 3 MGU-H, 3 MGU-K, 3 turbo-chargers, 2 energy stores and 2 control electronics. As things stand, Hamilton is the only racing driver compared to Verstappen, Bottas and Perez who has stayed within the component limit but that may change at the Turkish Grand Prix.

The Turkish Grand Prix will be held on Sunday, 10th October from 5:30 pm IST.

Also read: Formula 1 calendar adds the Qatar Grand Prix with a 10 year agreement in place

(Motorsport news) The maiden Qatar Grand Prix is set to take place on November 21st at the Losail International Circuit and the country will now have a permanent place in the Formula 1 calendar from 2023.

With the Formula 1 season heating up as Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen’s pursuit for the Drivers Championship becomes more intense than ever before, Doha will be the venue which will fill the spot vacant after the Australian Grand Prix’s cancellation and is first of the three venues in the Middle East to finish the season. The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix and Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will take place on December 3rd and 10th respectively.

Formula 1 President and CEO Stefano Domenicali had this to say upon the confirmation of a 10 year agreement “We are very pleased to welcome Qatar to the Formula 1 calendar this season and for the longer term from 2023. We have shown that we can continue to adapt and there is huge interest in our sport and the hope from many locations to have a Grand Prix. The huge effort from all the teams, F1 and the FIA has made it possible to deliver a 22-race calendar, something that is very impressive during a challenging year and something we can all be proud of."

The country has a longstanding history of hosting MotoGP, being an integral part of their calendar since 2004. Qatar will also be hosting the FIFA World Cup in 2022, a year before the 10 year agreement will begin with Formula 1. A statement from Formula 1 said “There was a strong will from Qatar to be helpful to F1, and in the course of this process, the vision for a longer partnership was discussed and agreed for 10 years.

"The step from the gesture to be helpful to F1 in 2021 to a long term strategy was short and simple and the vision for F1 to be the showcase for Qatar after the FIFA World Cup in 2022 was the driving force behind this long term agreement. As part of the longer-term deal, discussions will continue regarding the location for the Grand Prix from 2023 with further details to be provided at a later time."

Also read: Late heartbreak for Lando Norris as Lewis Hamilton wins Russian GP to record 100th F1 victory

(Motorsport news) Volkswagen Group’s Audi and Porsche are likely to join the ranks of Formula 1 engine manufacturers in 2026, subject to a final decision that is pending on the long term regulations of power units before the Turkish Grand Prix on October 10th. According to reports, the one condition both the brands have made to join Formula 1 is that the MGU-H element had to go and both Porsche and Audi attended the meeting at Red Bull Ring with F1 stakeholders regarding the future of the engines.

It is reported that Formula 1 engines from 2026 onwards will be a V6 and the basic turbo architecture will remain unchanged, but the electric power output will rise to 350 kilowatts. The aim is to make the engines simpler and more cost effective compared to the current ones with the MGU-H element to be dropped, which is usually used to recover and store turbocharger energy. 

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff welcomed the prospect of Audi and Porsche joining Formula 1 by saying “The MGU-H will be dropped if we can find alignment of many other points. I think it’s a compromise that – I can’t speak for anyone else – but at Mercedes, we are prepared to enter in order to facilitate the entry of the Volkswagen Group but there are several other topics where compromise needs to be found. If compromise cannot be found then we will probably revert to the governance and have 2026 regulations that the (governing) FIA and FOM (Formula One Management) are going to come up with.”

With 10 Formula 1 teams relying on engines from the likes of Mercedes, Ferrari, Honda and Renault, out of which Japanese manufacturer Honda is withdrawing from the sport at the end of 2022 and Red Bull taking over the IP, it has never been more important for more engine manufacturers to come into the sport.

Current champions Mercedes supply four teams with engines in the Formula 1 grid, Ferrari supply three teams, Renault to their Alpine branded teams and Honda to Red Bull and AlphaTauri. It’s likely that either Audi or Porsche would team up with Red Bull with their entry in 2026, as Red Bull has worked with the Volkswagen Group in the past, most notably in the World Rally Championship.

Also read: Late heartbreak for Lando Norris as Lewis Hamilton wins Russian GP to record 100th F1 victory

(Motorsport news) Lewis Hamilton overtook Max Verstappen in the Drivers Championship with a lead of two points after winning the Russian GP. Lando Norris, who displayed exquisite performances throughout the weekend was very unlucky to not win at the Sochi Autodrom as his dry tyres simply didn’t give him the grip required when the heavy rain hit to keep Hamilton at bay. The 21 year old British-Belgian racing driver would be heartbroken to finish in seventh place after leading for the majority of the race.

Verstappen, who started the race at the back of the grid after incurring a penalty due to the collision with Hamilton at Monza and an engine change put up an impressive display to finish in second place with 18 points. Carlos Sainz and Ferrari finished in third place ahead of Daniel Ricciardo, Valtteri Bottas, Lando Norris and Fernando Alonso after being second fastest in the qualifiers.

However, it was Lando Norris who may not have won the race but definitely won all the hearts as Britain’s youngest ever pole sitter who was also set to become the youngest British driver to win a Formula 1 race. Questions will be raised about the strategy employed by McLaren and Norris, who was in the lead with eight laps to go when rain started getting increasingly heavier. McLaren and Norris’ decision to remain on slick tyres in hindsight was the wrong one and eventually led to a catastrophic spin in the 51st lap out of 53, which was immediately capitalised by Hamilton.

With this result in Russia, Lewis Hamilton became the first Formula 1 driver to win 100 races, surpassing Michael Schumacher’s record of 91 last year. The British racing driver is now the most successful F1 racer in history, having won 7 World Championships, 101 poles and 100 wins. "It has taken a long time to get to 100 and I wasn't even sure if it would come," said Hamilton. "It is a magical moment. I could only have dreamed of still being here, to have this opportunity to win these races, and to drive with such phenomenal talents this late on in my career.

"I am so proud of everything we have done with Mercedes, on and off the track, and this is a special moment for everyone that has been part of it. My dad called me last night and he has always been that one to reassure me and to continue to support me. I feel incredibly grateful for the amazing support that I have had."

In an interview with Sky F1, Toto Wolff said "I think we are witnesses of a career that is just amazing. The 100th race victory is just mind-blowing. I think if you were to be in awe that would be the wrong working relationship and friendship. But we realise that we are being part of a journey that no other sportsman in Formula 1 has done so far and that is beyond the races that we have won or the championships - from the human aspect it is something special."

The next Formula 1 race will take place at Istanbul Park in Turkey with just two points separating Hamilton and Verstappen. Be sure to catch all the action LIVE on Sunday, 10th October from 6:30 pm IST. 

Also read: Extreme E releases their calendar for 2022 season

(Motorsports news) The electric off road racing series is at the midpoint as it celebrates its first season as Extreme E has its eye on the future as it unveils the provisional Season 2’s calendar in 2022.

The electric racing series takes place in off-road locations as part of its mission to drive awareness of climate change issues, such as global warming, melting ice caps, rising sea levels, wildfires and extreme weather and desertification, whilst promoting sustainability and the adoption of electric vehicles to help protect the planet.

Alejandro Agag, CEO and Founder of Extreme E, explained: “We’ve had a hugely positive response to Extreme E throughout this opening Season, from governments to NGOs, who see great potential, not only for utilising our purpose driven sports platform to educate on climate issues, but also to showcase the solutions that they and the wider global community can all be part of.

“As we approach the tail end of our first Season, we wanted to be transparent about how our second season is shaping up in order to help enable our teams, drivers and partners to prepare. We’ve had lots of interest, both in retaining events in locations we’ve visited in Season 1, and from new locations and we are currently at a stage where we have multiple options for some of our races. As an engaged championship which aims to put fans at the heart of decision making, we are also keen to hear input and opinions on where we should go in future Seasons too.”

Provisional Extreme E Season 2 calendar (2022):
February 19-20:  Saudi Arabia
May 7-8:  Senegal / Egypt / Tanzania
July 9-10:  Greenland / Iceland
September 10-11:  Brazil / Argentina / Uruguay / Italy / Costa Rica   
November 26-27:  Chile

St. Helena, the former Royal Mail Ship will provide the championship’s floating centrepiece as they will carry the series’ vehicles, logistics equipment and paddock infrastructure as well as playing host to scientific research with its on board laboratory. This is done in a bid to lower the impact of the travel logistics compared to air travel.

Head-to-head races, known as an X Prix,  will take place over two days as the area is no larger than 10 km2, with each team fielding a male and a female driver to compete in the race, including a Driver Switch incorporated midway. Course designers have carefully selected course options, which provide the most challenging, exciting action, using obstacles and features with elevation changes and jumps, to entertain the audience and also raise environmental awareness

Race organisers undergo thorough environmental, social and economic assessments of each location with a local third party, as they oversee the environmental protection, social inclusivity and fair practices. Extreme E in a systematic manner as they operate from water consumption, waste management, lighting on-site through to land management and ensuring the series races without a trace after the X Prix has finished. 

Additionally, in each location, Extreme E works alongside governments and NGOs to implement positive legacy initiatives dependent on regional needs. Examples of Legacy Programmes in Season 1 have included; the funding of a turtle conservation project along the Red Sea coastline; the planting of one million mangroves with NGO TO.org and Oceanium in Senegal; cocoa agroforestry and Amazon conservation with The Nature Conservancy in Para state, Brazil; and the creation of a climate education syllabus for over 3,500 school children across Greenland with UNICEF. 

Professor Carlos Duarte, Extreme E’s Climate Change Scientist said: “I have thoroughly enjoyed being part of Extreme E this year and very much look forward to continuing our good work into Season 2.
“The legacy and scientific aspects are a true cornerstone to the series and already this year I’ve been able to conduct research in Saudi Arabia and collect ice samples from the Russell Glacier with Extreme E. This championship gives me and my peers the opportunity to reach people outside of our usual networks, it gives us a voice to reach the masses and educate on climate issues and the solutions we can all be a part of.”

As well as providing a platform for climate and environmental awareness, Extreme E provides strong economic impact to the host countries. YouGov Sport, calculated the series’ inaugural event in Saudi Arabia contributed more than €47 million local value. These figures include employment of local personnel, logistics, transportation, local food ,beverage, provisions and hotel stays.
The  media exposure of the Desert X Prix majorly factors in the overall economic impact. Extreme E’s broadcast in 190 broadcasting markets as they cater to 18.7million audiences which has resulted in an unprecedented media value of almost €32 million for the championship.

Extreme E has already surpassed its end of Season 1 targets on social media hitting 100 million video views, a 400 per cent increase in engagement plus more than one billion impressions across all digital platforms.

Also read: ABT CUPRA XE announces new design in IAA Mobility Show at Munich
 

(Motorsport news) Formula 1 is heading to the Sochi Autodrom for the 2021 Russian Grand Prix with the title race between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen more intense than it has ever been. Verstappen has a three place grid drop after the collision with Hamilton’s Mercedes at Monza, which means the Dutchman would be at a significant disadvantage heading into the weekend in Russia. This means that even if Verstappen finishes first in qualifying, the highest he will start the race will be fourth. It will be the first time the Red Bull driver will not be in the top 3 this season, finishing seven out of the last eight races in pole position.

The man to watch out for at Sochi is neither Hamilton or Verstappen but Valtteri Bottas. The Flying Finn won the race last year, has never started outside the top 4 in seven attempts in Russia and showed a blistering pace in Italy by being fastest in Friday qualifying and Sprint. Red Bull will not be too downhearted by Verstappen’s penalty as the long straights and DRS zones will help their fast car catch up and they would undoubtedly remember when the Dutchman started the race in 19th position in 2018 and finished fifth within the first eight laps.

However, it’s Mercedes who look favourites at Sochi Autodrom, having won every race at the venue since 2014, leading for 309 out of a possible 340 laps. Hamilton has already won four races and will hope to capitalize on Verstappen’s grid penalty by gaining points in the Drivers Championship. Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris of McLaren will also be hoping to maintain momentum in Russia after finishing first and second at Monza. In a power sensitive circuit, the McLaren MCL35M is expected to be competitive and a possible podium finish might be on the cards.

Ferrari will be debuting their new power unit in Russia, which means that Charles Leclerc will be forced to start at the back of the grid. As per the regulations, Ferrari are restricted to one upgrade of each component every year and have been running the 2020-spec hybrid system. The introduction of the new hybrid system will help Ferrari gain experience for the 2022 car project amidst new technical regulations. Unfortunately for Leclerc, the Monaco based driver has already used up his permitted allocation of power units this season, which means the new upgrade will automatically trigger a grid penalty. Carlos Sainz is expected to use his old power unit in Russia and the new upgrade in Turkey, which will also result in a grid penalty as and when the upgrade is implemented.

One thing is for sure, it’s going to be another action packed weekend full of drama, excitement and controversy in the most competitive Formula 1 Championship in years. Be sure to tune in on Sunday, 26th September from 5:30 pm onwards.

Also read: Formula 1: German Grand Prix will not return to the F1 calendar next year

(Motorsports news) The German Grand Prix is one of the most iconic and loved events by the fans, but it's a race that is struggling to meet the financial end for years. The Hockenheimring and Nurburgring alternated to spread the cost between them. Mercedes AMG were one of the key partners for the German GP but ever since they stopped doing so, the German GP found it difficult to sustain it.

In 2020, Nurburgring returned to the calendar because of the pandemic, replacing the Eifel Grand Prix. The historic track first started hosting races in 1926 and was a staple to the F1 schedule from 1956 to 2006, although F1 didn’t race in Germany in 2007, 2015 and 2017. It will be a huge blow for the sport as the German influence on the sport is tremendous and the likes of Vettel and Mercedes will not have a home race to show for. The German GP over the years have seen have some legendary moments like the infamous crash of Nikki Lauda in 1976 where he miraculously escaped the engulfing fire only to come back racing two races later to renew his championship battle with James Hunt, it saw a birth of a superstar in 1995 when Michael Schumacher won his first race in Germany and placed one hand on the 1995 title .

The 2022 calendar was going to originally feature a record 23 races but with the pandemic and cancellation of races, F1 bosses came to an agreement of 22 races next year. F1 is looking to diversify the sport by hosting one third of the races in Europe and the rest in different continents. Formula 1 CEO Domenicali also suggested that a race in Africa and also the return of the Korean Grand Prix at Yeongam is a distinct possibility.

Also read: Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll retained by Aston Martin for the Formula 1 2022 season

"I have the feeling that the organizers have no faith in themselves to host a Grand Prix anymore. Just look at what happened in Holland, Zandvoort is sold out for the next three years.

“I can imagine about a third of the races in Europe and the others around the rest of the world, starting in Bahrain. We have requests from Africa and are negotiating in the south and the north, plus one or two places in the Far East—Korea, for example” said the F1 CEO Domenicali.

 

(Motorsport news) Francesco Bagnaia won his second consecutive MotoGP victory at the San Marino Grand Prix on Sunday after surviving a late charge from World Championship leader Fabio Quartararo.

The Italian led the race by almost 2.7 seconds at one point until Quartararo gave a late scare and reduced the gap by two tenths of a second. Quartararo struggled to keep pace with the Ducati’s of Bagnaia and Jack Miller at the beginning of the race, but soon found his form and overtook the Australian with 14 laps to go to finish in second place.

Starting from the 12th position on the grid, Enea Bastianini of Avintia Ducati also secured his debut podium finish while Repsol’s Marc Marquez finished fourth. Ducati’s Jack Miller finished in a disappointing fifth position while former world champion Valentino Rossi finished 17th for Petronas Yamaha while reigning world champion Joan Mir finished sixth on his Suzuki.

Despite back to back victories for Francesco Bagnaia, the Italian still trails Quartararo by 48 points with four rounds to go. The Frenchman said, “There were a few moments where I closed the gap, but Pecco (Bagnaia) was on another level today... but we did the job today because we still have a good lead in the championship.”

After the race, Bagnaia spoke about his back to back race wins, “I knew that with the soft rear tyre, I was struggling a bit and I tried to push in the first few laps to open the gap. The last 10 laps when Fabio was recovering were very difficult... he was a bit better in the last part but we were incredible today.

Two victories in a row is incredible for me. I was struggling to win my first race... there was something missing. Now I'm very happy."

Also read: Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll retained by Aston Martin for the Formula 1 2022 season

(Motorsport news) Formula 1 team Aston Martin have announced an unchanged driver lineup for the 2022 season with both Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll retaining their places on the grid. Formerly known as Racing Point, Aston Martin returned to F1 this year and are currently placed seventh in the Constructors Championship.

Sebastian Vettel has guided Aston Martin to their best result so far, finishing second at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The four time World Champion left Ferrari last season to join the British team. Following his contract extension, Vettel said in an interview,  “I am really looking forward to racing the new generation of Formula One cars. Their look is very different and the new technical regulations should give us cars that can race much more closely than recently.

“More exciting racing will be great for the drivers as well as for the fans. The changes are so big that every team will be starting from a new beginning,  so it will be a great opportunity for us at Aston Martin. I believe in the strength of our new growing team, so I am already looking forward to 2022.”

Lance Stroll added “Next season I will be embarking on my sixth year in Formula 1, alongside my team mate Sebastian… and I greatly look forward to continuing the journey with him next year. We have not achieved what we set out to do this year, but that has only amplified our hunger and drive for success next season.”

Speaking of his driver line-up for 2022, Team Principal Otmar Szafnauer said: “Lance is one of the most gifted drivers in modern Formula 1, and to that raw talent he is now adding serious racecraft.

“A four-time world champion, having driven 271 Grands Prix, of which he has won 53, Sebastian is also a massive asset to our team, and next year we expect both of them to race well in what will be a very different formula from the current one.

“We never under-estimate our opposition, so we do not intend to over-promise, but we know that Lance and Sebastian will get the very best from the tools we will put at their disposal.”

With Aston Martin confirming their driver line-up for next season, only one seat remains vacant at Alfa Romeo with the occupant set to team up with Valtteri Bottas. Haas are also expected to confirm their driver line-up, with Mick Schumacher expected to retain his place in the American team.

Also read: Daniel Ricciardo wins Italian GP as Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton crash again

(Motorsport news) Passion. Desire. Winner. Perfectionist. Relentless. Daring. These are just a few words that describe Michael Schumacher, the seven time Formula 1 World Champion and one of the greatest drivers to have ever lived. For motorsport enthusiasts in the 90’s and 2000’s, Michael Schumacher was the ultimate driver. A perfect combination of talent and the desire to exploit that potential to every last drop to get the desired result. A private and happy go lucky individual in his personal life, Michael Schumacher was a fierce competitor on the race track that earned him many fans and enemies over the years.

Schumacher’s documentary released on Netflix on 15th September 2021 and gave us a sneak peek into his journey, career, accomplishments, family life and the various obstacles the German has overcome to become the legendary racing driver we all know today. In an era of Formula 1 where drivers are assured a position on the grid by how rich their fathers are and which teams they own, Schumacher’s journey to the highest level of motorsport racing is very relatable to the average joe.

The path towards a professional racing drivers career is notoriously expensive and the documentary perfectly sums up his early years of struggle, where his family could not afford to get him new sets of tyres for his battered old go-kart for races. Schumacher made his way through sheer desire and talent, often rummaging through used tyres and go-kart equipment that were discarded and winning races with them. The German grew accustomed to this handicap, navigated through it with skill and precision and steadily climbed the ladder to his dream.

Along with talent and hard work, every career needs a bit of luck and if there is any driver that deserved such a break, it was Michael Schumacher. The German got a lucky break with the Jordan-Ford team in 1991 as a replacement for the imprisoned Bertrand Gachot. The German was an instant success, finishing seventh in qualifying, the team’s season-best grid position and was described as “the best talent since Stefan Bellof” by the German media.

As Schumacher’s reputation on the grid grew, his rivals began to take notice of the newcomer on the block. As time went on, Michael Schumacher had his first nemesis who was none other than Ayrton Senna. The two were more similar than they would’ve liked to admit, both were extremely focused and ruthless, with a win at all costs mentality. It was a rivalry that can be described as the older king of the jungle against a younger lion, eager to take away his throne. Unfortunately, the rivalry is often viewed with sadness rather than a positive conclusion, as Senna tragically lost his life at the age of 34, succumbing to fatal injuries sustained due to a crash at the San Marino Grand Prix in 1994.

Also read: Daniel Ricciardo wins Italian GP as Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton crash again

The documentary captures Michael Schumacher’s emotions in the aftermath of Senna’s crash brilliantly, his grief, paranoia about racing and the mixed emotions of winning his first World Championship by default. As Formula 1’s best racing driver, Schumacher soon became the hottest property, with established teams like McLaren and Ferrari interested in his signature. In 1996, Schumacher signed for the oldest and most successful team in Formula 1 history, Ferrari. The documentary does a brilliant job in showing his struggles in the initial years, his hands-on involvement in salvaging a virtually unfixable car with fundamental flaws and how the German, along with Brawn, Byrne, and Jean Todt transformed a sleeping giant into the most successful team in Formula 1 history.

The documentary also shows Schumacher’s complicated relationship with his new nemesis Mika Häkkinen, one full of mutual respect and admiration mixed with tense moments of rivalry, controversy and heated discussions on the track. It wonderfully portrays a never seen before side of Michael Schumacher, the private family man who enjoyed skiing and skydiving. The documentary wraps up with Corinna Schumacher in tears, as she speaks about Michael’s horrific skiing accident. For a racing driver that always had his guardian angels on his side, one can only hope that Schumacher makes a full recovery and lives a long and happy life.

Verdict

Must watch. Especially if you’re a motorsports fan. If you’re not, you should watch it anyway.

(Motorsports news) Indian driver Jehan Daruvala sealed his second Formula 2 victory at the ‘temple of speed’ (Monza) ahead of Trident rookie Bent Viscaal and PREMA Racing’s Robert Shwartzman. Given the chaos of the first sprint race, Sprint race 2 was surprisingly calm as Jehan dominated from start to finish.

Daruvala jumped reverse grid pole setter David Beckhman at the first corner as when the lights went out Jehan got more speed and braked excellently into the first turn to take the lead of the race. An incident later resulted in a virtual safety car, which momentarily slowed him down but after that he drove a clean and consistent race. For the first few laps, Beckhman was within DRS range of Jehan but he kept his cool and slowly inched away, opening a one second margin and once this happened he steadily increased his lead every lap. Three laps before the end Jehan had comfortably opened a five second advantage, Beckhman got overtaken by Ben Viscaal and Robert Shwartzman as his tyres gave away.

Jehan’s dominance meant he won the race by over six seconds as this was his third podium of the season and his second ever race win after the victory at the Sakhir Grand Prix last season. This victory gave him 15 points as he currently moved up in 7th position in the championship with 81 points. His victory also meant that Carlin consolidated their 3rd position in the Constructors Championship with 185 points. Daruvala also had a phenomenal qualifying as he missed out pole in the feature race by 0.04 seconds meant that he would start second. In the feature event, although he started second he couldn’t capitalize on it as he finished fifth in the race.

Also read: Daruvala finishes 5th, Piastri triumphs over Zhou in Monza

“It feels truly special to hear the Indian national anthem on the top step of the podium. Winning at Monza is every racer's dream. I had qualified well and knew I had the pace to win. Getting ahead of David at the start and then breaking the tow were critical moments in the race. A big thank you to Carlin for the great car,” said an elated Jehan Daruvala.

Monza, Sept 12 (Motorsports news) India's Jehan Daruvala missed out on podium, settling for a fifth place finish in the Feature Race of Formula 2 here on Sunday.

Daruvala, who had sealed his second Formula 2 win with a dominating drive in the second sprint race on Saturday, was sluggish from second and clocked 56:41.936.

Oscar Piastri clinched a dominant first Feature Race win, beating Guanyu Zhou to extend his Championship lead.

Piastri had been unable to convert pole in the previous round at Silverstone, losing out to Zhou when the lights went out but looked to have learned from the experience and completed the opening lap at the front.

Jumping from third to second off the line, Zhou kept the pressure on throughout the race but was unable to find a way past his title rival.

As the highest placed driver on the alternate strategy, Dan Ticktum was handed a shot at victory by a Safety Car with five laps to go. Eight overtakes on the option tyre followed, before he was stopped by Bernd Mayländer's Mercedes, brought out after a collision between David Beckmann and Bent Viscaal.

Sprint Race 1 winner Theo Pourchaire settled for the fourth places.

Also read: Daniel Ricciardo wins Italian GP as Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton crash again

The title fight will continue in just under two weeks at Sochi, where Piastri and Zhou will look to pick up their battle from the front.

FIA Formula 2 will be LIVE on EUROSPORT and EUROSPORT HD. Eurosport channel can be streamed on the discovery+ app. 

News source: PTI

(Motorsport news) McLaren’s nine year victory drought ended at Autodromo Nazionale Monza as Danel Ricciardo sped past the chequered flag to finish in the first position with teammate Lando Norris closely following behind in second place. The Australian racing driver led the race from the beginning after overtaking Verstappen soon after the lights went out. It was back at the 2012 Brazilian GP that McLaren last won a race and it was Ricciardo's first win since the 2018 Monaco GP when he raced for Red Bull.

Under normal circumstances, Ricciardo and McLaren’s victory would have been the talking point of the race but Monza also featured a scary collision between title favourites Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. The race ended for the pair at the first chicane of lap 26 as Verstappen’s Red Bull attempted to overtake Hamilton’s Mercedes and made contact. All four wheels of the Red Bull were lifted off from the ground and the rear wheel made contact with the top of the Mercedes. Fortunately for Hamilton, the safety roll-hoop and halo head-protection did it’s job well in what could otherwise have been a serious crash.

Red Bull’s uncharacteristic pit stop blunder just before the collision lasted a mammoth 11 seconds, costing the Dutch racing driver valuable places on the grid. More determined than ever to make up for the lost time, Verstappen fought hard with Hamilton after rejoining the race which led to the crash. After the race, the stewards ruled that Verstappen was “predominantly at blame” for the collision and would face a three grid penalty at the Russian Grand Prix on 26th September.

Unsurprisingly, both the drivers and their team bosses blamed each other for the crash. Hamilton said, “I made sure I left the car's width on the outside to him. I went into Turn One and I was ahead, I was ahead going into Turn Two, then all of a sudden he was on top of me.

"Exactly the same scenario that happened in Turn 4 [on the first lap], where I went around the outside, I was in exactly the same position, but I gave way. And that's racing. He just didn't want to give way today, he knew when he was going into Turn 2 what was going to happen, he knew he was going over the kerb but still did it. We'll speak to the stewards and we'll see.

Verstappen said, "I didn't expect him to just keep on squeezing, squeezing, squeezing, because he didn't even need to. Even if he had left me, just a car width, we would have raced out of Turn Two anyway, and I think he probably still would have been in front.

"He just kept on pushing me wider and wider and at one point there was nowhere to go, he just pushed me onto the sausage kerb. That's why, at the end of the day, we touched, because the rear tyre bumped up to his tyre."

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff said, "I think in football you'd say it was a tactical foul. He [Verstappen] probably knew that if Lewis stays ahead, that is the race win possibly."

Red Bull’s Christian Horner said, "Max had the momentum. He had enough space around the outside, I think Lewis gave enough through the run into Turn One and I think our opinion would be that Lewis perhaps closed him too much into Turn Two."

The race ended with the two McLaren’s in the first two positions with Daniel Ricciardo winning the Italian GP and Lando Norris finishing second. Valtteri Bottas finished in third position, taking Sergio Perez’s place, who was awarded a five second penalty for gaining advantage over Leclerc by leaving the track. Charles Leclerc finished fourth followed by Perez and Carlos Sainz in sixth place.

The next race will be held at the Sochi Autodrom in Russia on 26th September at 6:30 pm IST.

Also read: Mercedes dominates qualifying at Monza as Valtteri Bottas pips Lewis Hamilton to head F1 Sprint Grid

(Motorsport news) An exquisite final lap by Mercedes’ flying Finn Valtteri Bottas was enough to leave behind race favourites Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen for the leading spot on Saturday’s F1 Sprint Grid.

Earlier this week, Mercedes had confirmed that George Russell will replace Valtteri Bottas at the Silver Arrows, and the Finnish racing driver put his best foot forward, moving from fifth to first in the final laps of Q3 with a time of 1:19:555, 0.096 seconds quicker than his teammate Lewis Hamilton.

Max Verstappen, who is three points clear of Lewis Hamilton in the Drivers Championship finished in third place and always looked on the backfoot at a track where Red Bull has traditionally struggled. Verstappen didn’t look in competition with Bottas or Hamilton throughout the qualifiers, instead his focus seemed to be on keeping the Mercedes engine powered McLaren’s driven by Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo at bay.

Aston Martin and Alpine dropped out of Q2 and were fined €5,000 for a pit lane incident. Ferrari had a disappointing show at the home circuit, finishing seventh and eighth with Carlos Sainz finishing ahead of Charles Leclerc. Last year's winner Pierre Gasly finished sixth in the AlphaTauri and will start ahead of the Ferrari’s at the F1 Sprint Grid.

Also read: Alex Albon replaces George Russell at Williams for the 2022 season

(Motorsport news) Williams Racing have confirmed that Red Bull’s current reserve driver Alex Albon will team up with Nicholas Latifi for the 2022 season as a replacement for George Russell who has moved to Mercedes AMG Racing.

Albon replaced Pierre Gasly in 2019 on a swap from Toro Rosso and Red Bull and competed for the team throughout the season. Inconsistent performances and lack of podium finishes resulted in the 25 year old being replaced by Sergio Perez with Albon’s role reduced to a test and reserve driver.

In a statement released by Red Bull, the team confirmed that they have released Alex Albon to drive for Williams but will retain a relationship which includes future options. "We rate Alex very highly and with our line-up for 2022 fixed, our objective was to help find him a seat in another team where he could gain more F1 mileage and experience and we are delighted to have done that with Williams Racing," said Horner.

"Alex has been a hugely valuable asset in his role as our Test & Reserve Driver this year, helping bring performance from the simulator to the car each weekend, but for his career it was important not to spend another season out of an F1 race seat."

Jost Capito, the chief executive at Williams, said: "Alex is one of the most exciting young talents in motorsport, yet comes with a large amount of F1 experience from his time at Red Bull.

"His multiple podium finishes highlight his speed as a driver, and we know he will immediately feel at home with the team at Grove."

With only three teams yet to announce their driver pairings, Aston Martin and Haas are expected to retain their existing drivers. The only seat up for grabs is at Alfa Romeo, with Valtteri Bottas already announced and Antonio Giovinazzi a possible team mate, especially considering his affiliation with Ferrari who are the engine suppliers for Alfa Romeo.

Also read: Italian Grand Prix Preview: Formula 1’s fastest track to host Verstappen and Hamilton’s epic title battle

(Motorsport news) Formula 1 has returned to Monza for the Italian Grand Prix, the fastest track of the calendar and the second sprint race. It has been a busy week, especially for Mercedes as George Russell has been announced the new driver for the 2022 season, partnering Lewis Hamilton while Valtteri Bottas will move to Alfa Romeo.

A 100km sprint will decide the grid positions ahead of the 53 lap Italian GP and the practice schedule has changed to two one hour sessions, one will be held before qualifying on Friday while the other before the F1 Sprint on Saturday. The last time this format was implemented, Hamilton came first in qualifying, Verstappen topped the F1 Sprint and both the drivers collided in the first lap at Silverstone.

However, the pressure will not just be on Verstappen and Hamilton. This is Scuderia Ferrari’s home turf, the Tifosi will make their voices heard and will want Formula 1’s most successful and historic team to compete for a win.

Red Bull currently have a slender advantage as Max Verstappen is 3 points ahead of Lewis Hamilton thanks to back to back victories in Belgium and Netherlands. Mercedes will be confident of their chances heading into Monza, as they have won every Italian Grand Prix in the hybrid era except for Charles Leclerc’s 2019 and Pierre Gasly’s 2020 win.

Both teams (Mercedes and Red Bull) will have very little to no margin for error to gain victory at Monza and Verstappen and Hamilton will be going all guns blazing this weekend. A victory for Verstappen will extend his lead over Hamilton and will prove to be a milestone accomplishment for Red Bull, who have only finished on the podium once in the last seven races. The race will be broadcasted at 6:30 pm on Sunday, 12th September.

Also read: Top five performers of the Formula 1 2021 season so far

(Motorsports news): CUPRA, the Spanish automotive brand, today unveiled its Tavascan Extreme E Concept, set to be released into its ABT CUPRA team racing vehicle in the all-electric off-road racing series.

The concept launch was premiered at the 2021 IAA Mobility show in Munich and was presented together with ABT Managing Partner Hans-Jürgen Abt, ABT Sport Marketing boss Harry Unflath, along with Jutta Kleinschmidt, race driver for the ABT CUPRA Extreme E team.

The all-electric off-road racing car is the next project in the brand’s Extreme E adventure, which also hints at the design language to be used in the upcoming series production CUPRA Tavascan, the brand’s second 100 per cent electric model, and first electric SUV, which will be designed and developed in Barcelona and will enter Europe and overseas markets in 2024.

“We strongly believe in the Extreme E project as a whole,” said Antonino Labate, Director of Strategy, Business Development and Operations at CUPRA. “Electrification, sustainability, gender-balance and diversity are common values between CUPRA and Extreme E. The CUPRA Tavascan Extreme E Concept is clear proof of the hard work that we’re doing at CUPRA in order to be able to compete next season.”

“Almost exactly a year ago, we announced our partnership with CUPRA and unveiled the design of our e-CUPRA ABT XE1. Since then, we have generated a lot of attention together, both on and off the track,” says Thomas Biermaier, CEO of ABT Sportsline. “The development of our own bodywork by the designers and engineers at CUPRA is the next step in our close and successful collaboration. The Tavascan Extreme E Concept simply looks mega, right down to the smallest detail. Now it’s our job to score the first trophies with it soon.”

The design of the front and rear is considerably different from the vehicle competing in the current Extreme E season. LED technology ensures greater freedom to produce a vehicle with CUPRA DNA; the headlights in three triangle groups on either side provide a more imposing look.

And the lighting is set into a 3D printed frame, a technology chosen to give the CUPRA Tavascan Extreme E Concept an edge over the others. The 3D printed parts save time as they can be manufactured in just six hours. That means the team can adapt to changes very quickly; whether it’s because of an incident or changes to the light position, the components can be modified quickly without the need for cumbersome and expensive tooling.

However, the Extreme E racing series is about increasing environmental awareness and the CUPRA Tavascan Extreme E Concept is pushing the limits here, too, making the vehicle even more sustainable.

Constructing as much of the body structure as possible from flax fibres extracted from the flax plant means that the carbon fibre components can be replaced, reducing the vehicle’s influence on the environment. And there’s no problem in terms of  performance; the material can be worked in the same way, achieving the same shapes and radii required by engineers. It is already a technology that could easily be adapted to production vehicles.

“The car is the next evolution with even more CUPRA DNA and a design that hints at the future direction of the brand,” says Xavi Serra, Head of Technical Development at CUPRA Racing. “The CUPRA Tavascan Extreme E Concept uses flax fibres throughout the body for even more sustainability and 3D printed elements that can be recreated quickly.”

The CUPRA Tavascan Extreme E Concept’s revitalised body is finished with a livery that will help it stand out whether it’s racing in the arctic, desert, glacier or ocean locations.

The all-electric off-road racecar is finished with copper accents, a time honoured CUPRA mark parametric texturing and dynamised lines to help the exterior glow and move as the vehicle shifts through the landscape and an overlapping CUPRA logo to bring out a powerful 3D effect.

“The CUPRA Tavascan Extreme E Concept is looking incredible and in addition to being fully electric, it is now even more sustainable, using recyclable and organic materials such as flax fibres,” said Jutta Kleinschmidt, CUPRA driver. “I cannot wait to compete with this newly designed version!”

The CUPRA Tavascan Extreme E Concept comes in with a 54-kWh battery, placed behind the cockpit to produce a real rear weight distribution and can go from 0-100 km/h in about four seconds complying with the race series’ regulations.

CUPRA has been part of Extreme E from the outset. It was the first automotive brand to announce its participation, joining forces with ABT Sportsline as the team’s main partner. The Extreme E series is increasing CUPRA’s electrification research while promoting electrification, sustainability, and gender equality.

The precise date for when the new generation car is to be deployed into Extreme E is yet to be confirmed, but the suspense is already building. “The CUPRA Tavascan XE is a truly stunning design. I can’t wait to see it make its racing debut,” says Alejandro Agag, founder and CEO of the series. “This move also supports our goal of establishing Extreme E as a global marketing showcase for partners. Congratulations to this future-thinking and visionary team.”

After its appearance in Greenland at the end of August, Extreme E will host its next race which is the Island X Prix in Sardinia on 23/24 October.

Also read: Top five performers of the Formula 1 2021 season so far
 

(Motorsport news) The Formula 1 2021 season has been one of the most exciting, action packed and closest contests in recent years. With Lewis Hamilton finally getting a proper duel in the race for the world title to Ferrari improving on their last season's debacle, the race track has seen plenty of drama, controversy and excitement and the second half of the season promises much more!

Here are the top five drivers of the F1 2021 season so far.

1) Max Verstappen

There is little doubt that Verstappen has been the standout performer so far. The Dutch racing driver has gone toe to toe with seven time Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton and is currently three points above the British racing driver in pursuit of the World Championship. Verstappen has maximized Red Bull’s capability to the limit so far and has finished first 7 times this season. If Verstappen can maintain his form, Hamilton and Mercedes would have a real battle on their hands to retain their title.

2) Lewis Hamilton

Any list of high performing F1 drivers that doesn’t include Lewis Hamilton is wrong. Period. The British racing driver is a generational talent and has the opportunity to surpass Michael Schumacher by winning his eighth World Championship. Unfortunately, Max Verstappen and Red Bull stand in his way and they are giving him a really difficult fight. It’s fair to say that this isn’t one of Lewis Hamilton’s best campaigns so far and he has only won 4 races, namely in Bahrain, Portugal, Spain and Great Britain. Time is running out for Hamilton to find an answer for Verstappen’s pace if he hopes to retain his title once again.

3) Pierre Gasly

Racing for AlphaTauri, Pierre Gasly has had a fantastic F1 campaign so far. He has consistently finished just below the podium places, often ahead of the likes of Ferrari and McLaren and finished third at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. After being demoted from Red Bull last year, the French driver has often outperformed his replacement Sergio Perez and it remains to be seen if he will be racing alongside Verstappen next year.

4) Lando Norris

With already three podium finishes so far in Emilia-Romagna, Monaco and Austria, 21 year old Lando Norris has exceeded all expectations this season. The British-Belgian racing driver is undoubtedly one of Formula 1’s hottest prospects and is driving with a maturity well beyond his years. Norris has the potential to become a World Champion in the future and if he continues to perform as well as he is for McLaren, that time won’t be too far away.

5) Charles Leclerc

If someone would have said that Charles Leclerc would be Ferrari’s first choice racing driver a few years ago, they would have been called crazy. From an experienced pair of Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikonnen to Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, Ferrari’s strategy has dramatically altered and paid dividends. He might have only one podium finish this year at Great Britain, which would traditionally be considered an underachievement for a Ferrari driver, but after the disastrous last year that the prancing horse has endured, it’s an achievement to say the least. Leclerc has quickly cemented his place in this Ferrari team and outperformed his teammate Carlos Sainz on most occasions. With a car capable of competing against Mercedes and Red Bull, Charles Leclerc undoubtedly has the talent and consistency to compete against Hamilton and Verstappen. Time will tell if Ferrari will support the 23 year old to bring back the glory days.

Also read: Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda set to stay at AlphaTauri for F1 2022 season
 

(Motorsport news) Formula 1 team AlphaTauri have confirmed that their young team of Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda will continue for the 2022 season in order to maintain ‘consistency and stability into the new era of F1’.

Formerly known as Toro Rosso, the Red Bull sister outfit signed F1 rookie Yuki Tsunoda this season while Gasly has been with the team for five seasons. With the race in Monza just around the corner, Gasly will recall his historic win last season and has already scored 66 points compared to Tsunoda’s 18 points.

"I am confident there's more to come and this is why we are excited to have him with us for another season, furthermore, he is using his experience in F1 to help Yuki with his development," said team boss Franz Tost on Gasly.

Tost added: "This year we have seen that the positive relationship between the two, made of a competitiveness on-track and a friendship off-track, has proven effective for the team.

"Yuki has joined the team as a rookie and is continuing to learn every day, the feedback from the engineers shows that he is absorbing all the information given to him and improving.

"As a rookie, Yuki is only at the beginning of this journey, so it's good that he can continue what we've started together. It's great for us to be securing our driver line-up so early in the season, so we can now focus on the rest of 2021, where we're in a tough fight in the midfield pack."

Also read: Valtteri Bottas joins Alfa Romeo for 2022 F1 season, George Russell set to move to Mercedes

(Motorsport news) In a sport as competitive as Formula 1, being the number 2 driver, especially when you’re as talented and experienced as Valtteri Bottas is a difficult task indeed. Unfortunately for the flying Finn, in his five seasons with the Silver Arrows, he has also been the teammate of seven time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton, an unfair comparison to an otherwise fantastic racing driver. Bottas has now joined Alfa Romeo on a multi-year deal, effectively replacing Kimi Raikkonen, who is set to retire at the end of the ongoing season.

Mercedes will fill Bottas’ void with 22 year old George Russell, who has impressed in his three seasons at Williams and is set to be in Toto Wolff’s plans for Mercedes’ long term future. What better opportunity for Russell than to learn from one of the greatest F1 drivers in history and carry on the dominance once the 36 year old hangs his boots? However, he will have big boots to fill as Valtteri Bottas has done exceptionally well at the Silver Arrows, winning nine races and 17 pole positions. Mercedes are showing great faith in George Russell’s abilities instead of the stability Bottas provides, especially considering their competition with Red Bull for both the drivers and constructors championship is bigger than ever.

Bottas arrived at Mercedes in 2017 as a replacement for Nico Rosberg who shocked the world by announcing his retirement days after winning the title. Bottas has finished at a podium place 63 times in his career, with 17 fastest laps and 9 race wins. He currently occupies third place in the championship after the Dutch Grand Prix and last won the Russian GP in September last year.

Also read: Max Verstappen wins the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort and takes back F1 title lead

(Motorsport news) As Max Verstappen crossed the finish line at Circuit Zandvoort, there was a mighty roar from the fans as Verstappen won his first race in the country he calls home. The fireworks were set off and Red Bull and Verstappen had plenty of reasons to celebrate. The Dutch racing driver didn’t put a foot wrong throughout the race, leading from the pack from the get-go in front of vocal, orange clad supporters for the very first time. Approaching the race, Hamilton enjoyed a three point lead over Verstappen which has now become a three point deficit as the race for the title heats up.

Both Verstappen and Red Bull needed a perfect performance and they got it, which was the only reason why Hamilton and Mercedes couldn’t finish first in the Netherlands. The British racing driver ended the race in second position ahead of Valtteri Bottas and Pierre Gasly who impressed in the AlphaTauri. Charles Leclerc finished fifth ahead of the Spaniards Fernando Alonso and teammate Carlos Sainz.

The race did have its fair share of last minute drama as Bottas was called for a late tyre change after which he finished with the fastest lap, much to Mercedes’ dismay as they urged him not to compete for the bonus point. This forced the Silver Arrows to call Hamilton before his penultimate lap so that he would get the fastest lap bonus instead to close the gap with Verstappen in the title race. The British racing driver duly obliged and managed to finish fastest in the final lap, much to Toto Wolff and Mercedes’ relief.

Fernando Alonso overtook countryman Carlos Sainz in the final lap of the race, much to Ferrari’s disappointment as Alpine finished in sixth position. Sergio Perez finished in eighth position, giving Red Bull some much needed four points in their pursuit for the Constructors Championship. However, the gulf between the two teams grows wider with every race and 12 points separate Mercedes and Red Bull currently.

The next Formula 1 race will be held at Monza on Sunday, 12th September at 6:30 pm IST.

Also read: Kimi Raikkonen retires from Formula 1 at the age of 41

(Motorsports news) The ever present man on the Formula 1 paddock, Kimi Raikkonen retires after spending 20 years in the sport. The IceMan like people refer to him has been the most fearless driver that F1 has ever seen. One of the most iconic names in F1 history has established a cult of fan following since he started racing for Sauber in 2001, his career has spanned over two decades and the very thought of him not being on the grid next year sure brought an end to an amazing era.

At his peak Kimi was unbeatable and the outright fastest driver on the grid, he won 21 races in the 2000s with his first being with Mclaren and then Ferrari. His best ever season was arguably when he won his only world championship in 2007 with the Prancing Horses after being selected to succeed the great Michael Schumacher. The 2007 world championship is regarded as one of the greatest ever comebacks in F1 history as Raikkonen was overhauled by his then championship rivals Lewis Hamilton and his Mclaren teammate Fernando Alonso, he was 7 points behind heading into the final race of the season and was practically out of the championship race. The Brazilian Grand Prix sprung the most unexpected events as he not only won the race but took the World Championship by one point.

Also read: Dutch Grand Prix returns to Formula 1 for the first time since 1985

Over the years Raikkonen has raced for Sauber, Mclaren, Ferrari and Lotus. His return back to Ferrari in 2014 was heavily criticised considering his age and also being out of the sport for 2 years but like the legend he is, he proved his doubters wrong and went onto become Vettel's partner in crime for 4 successful years. His last victory came in 2018 in Austin aged 39 when he held off Lewis Hamilton for a famous victory. Kimi also broke the Rubens Barrichello record of 322 race starts last year at the French GP.

Currently Raikkonen has 341 races under his name and with 10 more races to go he will surely hold this record for a long time. Raikkonen is probably Mr Formula one, a career that has spanned for two decades in such a high intensity sport is not a matter of joke. He will surely be missed by the fans and more than his racecraft, the sheer determination and having no fear is what fans fell in love with.

(Motorsport news) It was 36 years ago that the Dutch Grand Prix took place at Zandvoort and Max Verstappen will return to his ‘home’ track as his battle with Lewis Hamilton heats up with only three points separating the two drivers. The British racing driver is currently on 202.5 points while Verstappen is on 199.5. In the Constructors Championship, Mercedes are currently placed at 310.5 points while Red Bull trail closely behind at 303.5.

It will be a special occasion for Verstappen as he races in front of a home crowd for the first time in his career. The Dutch racing driver will undoubtedly look to finish first and close the gap with Mercedes and Hamilton. The seven time World Champion will receive a feisty reception at Netherlands, just like at Hungary and Belgium where he was booed because of the clash between the pair at Silverstone.

Located near Amsterdam, Zandvoort is a fast, tight and technical track, a favourite amongst racing drivers. However, there is a notable addition this time around as the last corner of the circuit inclines around the final bend, similar to the American ‘Oval’ tracks. Zandvoort’s banking is twice as steep as the famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It’s predicted that while the race itself may have few overtakes, the qualification should see some extremely fast laps with marginal room for error.

The Dutch Grand Prix will be broadcasted LIVE on Sunday, 5th September at 6:30 pm IST.

Also read: Max Verstappen wins the shortest Formula 1 race in history as Belgium Grand Prix is red-flagged due to heavy rain

(Motorsports news) Red Bull’s Max Verstappen cut short Lewis Hamilton’s lead to 5 points after being declared the winner of the Belgian Grand Prix which was red-flagged after two laps behind the safety car because of torrential rain and poor conditions. As enough laps were completed, half points were awarded to the top 10 finishers, sealing the result through qualification which meant that Verstappen received 12.5 points, George Russell received 9, finishing in his first podium place position and Hamilton got 7.5 points after finishing third.

It was the first Formula 1 race since the Malaysian Grand Prix in 2009 to award half points and the shortest one in history which, despite its duration, also involved some drama. Red Bull’s Sergio Perez crashed on his way to the grid which meant that Nicholas Latifi from Williams was awarded a point as well as Carlos Sainz who finished 10th and got 0.5 points.



With the three hour ‘race clock’ ticking, stewards were under pressure to restart which was halted due to undriveable conditions but the weather kept getting worse. Eventually, Formula 1 race director Michael Masi red-flagged the race again and it was clear that the race would not be restarted. Next week, Formula 1 action will return to the Netherlands with the Dutch Grand Prix for the first time since 1985. Verstappen will be hoping to further reduce the deficit from Hamilton when he races in front of the home fans who will undoubtedly cheer him on.

Also read: Sergio Perez signs a new contract with Red Bull for the 2022 Formula 1 season

(Motorsport news) Formula 1 driver Sergio Perez has been confirmed as Max Verstappen’s partner for the 2022 Formula 1 season. The 31 year old Mexican is Verstappen’s third teammate in three years but has impressed the Red Bull hierarchy to warrant a new contract.

Perez is the only teammate to have won a race since 2018 when the Mexican clinched the Azerbaijan Grand Prix and currently occupies the fourth spot in the championship. With this contract sealed, Red Bull is all set for the new 2022 era which will feature radical rule changes as teams look to adapt to the newer format.

Red Bull have been struggling to find a reliable partner for Max Verstappen since Daniel Ricciardo left the team in 2018. Pierre Gasly only lasted half a season but was let go after unimpressive performances while Alex Albon struggled to keep up with Red Bull’s demands. In an unorthodox decision, Red Bull opted for a driver outside their racing programme and opted for Sergio Perez who impressed with Racing Point.

Unlike his predecessors, Perez has proved to be a more compatible teammate for both Red Bull and Verstappen as the team looks to reduce the gap with Mercedes AMG Racing. His contract extension comes at no surprise with the championship closer than ever this season and Red Bull looking to maintain stability amidst the new Formula 1 regulations.

As this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix draws closer, Mercedes are 12 points ahead of Red Bull in the constructors championship while 8 points separate Hamilton and Verstappen for the drivers title.

Also read: Fernando Alonso extends contract with Formula 1 team Alpine for 2022 season

(Motorsport news) With the Arctic X Prix just one day away, the series has revealed another exciting course with nine teams and 18 world class drivers facing new challenges across different terrain.

The course has been designed at the edge of Russell Glacier, just outside the town of Kangerlussuaq. The terrain is a combination of different sizes of rocks, glacial sediment and sand dunes. The start of the course is 123 meters above sea level, with a mixture of compact sediment and small rocks.  A wide-open section where drivers will have a myriad of different routes to take through the sandy mogul field brings them out at the bottom of the first climb up the sand dunes. The course briefly heads back downhill on to the plain for a short section, before turning back up into the dunes to the farthest northerly part of the course.

At this point, the course disappears to the far side of the dunes and around a small glacial water lake before winding its way up to the highest point on the dunes measuring 180 metres, before dropping out of the sandier section and reconnecting with the open plain, which will likely bring higher speeds. While it appears flat from a distance, the wind and water flows have shaped the floor, so expect the all-electric ODYSSEY 21s to dance across this area – it is certainly not flat out.

Winding its way to the farthest westerly point, the course drops twice into the huge riverbed with steep drops down and then jumps back up onto the plain. This is also home to the Super Sector - a section of the course where the fastest driver over the weekend will earn five points for their team.

Following the back straight, the course turns back towards the Switch and Finish areas. The slowest and perhaps most technical part of the course ventures across a small ‘rock garden’, littered with medium to large rocks. The drivers will have to be patient as they slowly pick their way through this unique and very technical part of the course.

The route back towards the Start and Switch zones now begins across the bumpy plain, finishing off the spectacular 6.68 kilometre course of the Arctic X Prix.

Also read: Fernando Alonso extends contract with Formula 1 team Alpine for 2022 season

Alejandro Agag, Extreme E Founder and CEO said: “The Arctic X Prix course offers a true spectacle and a brand-new challenge for teams and drivers. To be racing on an area which was once a glacier up until its suffering at the hands of the climate crisis is very special and I’m sure through the racing and our broadcast product, we will heighten fans’ awareness of what is happening to the planet.

“This course is like nothing the motorsport world has ever seen as we are the first series to ever go racing in this location, which means teams will have to get to grips with the setting pretty quickly. I can’t wait to see what prevails this weekend, and who will take the top step on the podium.”

The Arctic X Prix takes place this weekend (28-29 August) and can be watched via a host of global broadcasters available to view here. In the UK, the series airs on ITV, Sky Sports, BT Sport and BBC digital channels, plus FOX Sports in the USA, Eurosport across Europe and KNR in Greenland.

(Motorsport news) Two time Formula 1 World Champion Fernando Alonso has extended his contract with Alpine after impressing since his return to the grid. The 40 year old Spaniard will team up with Esteban Ocon next year, having completed 20 years in Formula 1 since his debut at the age of 19 in 2001.

In an interview on Formula 1’s website, Alonso said “ “It is a pleasure to work again with some of the brightest minds in our sport at Enstone and Viry-Chatillon. It’s been a tricky season for everyone, but we’ve shown progress as a team and the result in Hungary serves as a good example of this progression.

“We’re targeting more positive memories for the rest of this season but also crucially from next year onwards with the new regulation changes coming into Formula 1. I have been a big supporter of the need for a level playing field and change in the sport and the 2022 season will be a great opportunity for that. I am looking forward to the rest of this year and racing alongside Esteban in 2022 for Alpine.”

Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi added: “We are very pleased to confirm Fernando for next season, partnering with Esteban. For us it is a perfect driver line-up, amongst the strongest on the grid. It works in a hugely complementary way, with both offering raw talent and speed, yet impeccable team spirit that delivered our first win in Hungary.

“Fernando has impressed us all since he returned to the sport at the beginning of this year. His dedication, teamwork and focus to extract the maximum from the team is incredible to be a part of and certainly special to witness. His performance in Hungary was another example of his racing pedigree and reminded everyone how skilled a driver he is.

“I am convinced we can benefit strongly from Fernando’s insight and experience as we enter the final development and optimization phase of the 2022 chassis and power unit. He is just as hungry as we are for success and is putting in every effort to translate it to performance.

“For now, however, we need to focus on delivering a strong second half of the year, extract the maximum at every race and ensure we finish as high up in the constructors’ standings as possible. This will put us in a golden position for next year and the significant opportunity it brings.”

Alonso had previously distanced himself from Formula 1 three years ago after a disappointing spell with McLaren in order to pursue different motorsport disciplines Dakar Rally and Le Mans. In 2019, he won the World Endurance Championship with Toyota which included back to back wins at the Le Mans 24 hours.

Alonso returned to Formula 1 last year, having featured for Alpine in 2003-06 and 2008-09 where he won his two World Championships. As the saying goes “Form is temporary, class is permanent” Alonso hit the ground running and outperformed Ocon initially, who recently signed a new long term contract with Alpine. The Renault owned team are currently fifth in the Constructors Championship and will be hoping that the different rules for 2021 will help the team move up the ladder.

Also read: Can George Russell replace Valtteri Bottas at Mercedes?
 

(Motorsport news) Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has a big decision on his hands. As the weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps draws closer, the all important decision of who will partner Lewis Hamilton next year for the Mercedes team is a question that’s on everybody’s mind.

On one side is the safe option with 31 year old Valtteri Bottas who has executed his job as the 2nd driver for the Silver Arrows with perfection. On the other is the extremely talented but young George Russell, still only 23 and coming to an end of the three year loan from Mercedes to Williams. Very few drivers at the back of the Formula 1 grid have received as much media coverage as George Rusell and Toto Wolff has never hidden his desire to see the youngster in the Mercedes team. Moreover, Bottas has not been at his best this year, having already been forced to retire three times this year, which would further motivate Mercedes to finally let go of the veteran and bring some new blood in.

It’s fair to say that Bottas is an ambitious driver and has previously expressed his frustration of playing second fiddle to Hamilton. Why should he not want to compete? Both are in equally fast cars, with a tremendous wealth of experience and a Formula 1 career is a short one. The Flying Finn is justified in wanting to have a fair shot at the Drivers Championship but the problem lies in the fact that Mercedes WANT Hamilton to win. As their main driver, it is Hamilton who will always be given preference over the second driver and Bottas has always found that difficult to contend with.

By having George Russell in the team, it’s a perfect mix of experience with youth. Rusell would not challenge Hamilton on the track and be satisfied with the secondary role he is expected to perform. With Hamilton at 36, Russell will also prove to be a long term solution to Mercedes’ future and take over as the main driver when the seven time world champion finally calls it a day. More than the personal ambitions of the drivers, Wolff will look towards the future of the Mercedes team and undoubtedly, the ambition would be to win more Constructors Championships. The answer to that is neither Hamilton or Bottas, but George Russell and the time has never been better for him to learn from one of the greatest Formula 1 drivers of all time and carry on the Mercedes legacy into the future.

Also read: Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen set to lock horns again at the upcoming Belgian Grand Prix

(Motorsport news) It has been the closest Formula 1 championship in years and as things stand, Lewis Hamilton has an eight point lead over Max Verstappen, who will be looking for vengeance after the debacle in Silverstone. Will Red Bull and their dutch maestro bounce back from the recent results?

After winning five back to back races from Monaco to Austria, it looked like Mercedes’ dominance had finally come to an end, but due to a series of unfortunate circumstances involving collisions from both the teams and a tyre explosion, Mercedes find themselves on the top yet again, 12 points ahead in the constructors and eight points ahead in the drivers championship.

However, there is all to play for as the second half of the Formula 1 season is set to resume after August 2nd which will see six action pack weeks featuring five Grand Prix’s. The momentum has shifted in the favor of Mercedes who look to have made significant progress after an upgrade package was introduced at Silverstone. It included extensive changes to the floor, barge boards and the area around the rear brake, which resulted in an immediate improvement. The car was faster than Verstappen’s not just at Silverstone but also Hungary, at a track which has traditionally been dominated by Red Bull.

Moreover, Pirelli introduced tougher rear tyres that were first used in Silverstone. Might that have been an additional factor in Hamilton and Mercedes’ resurgence? Or is it down to the power unit or as Red Bull’s Helmut Marko has suggested, a new and improved cooling system? Most importantly, the tension between the two camps has never been more palpable and the rivalry more intense. It’s fair to say that unlike the first half of the season, Max Verstappen has a race on his hands if he is to win the coveted championship and both he and Red Bull will have to up their game to defeat the mighty Silver Arrows.

Also read: Mick Schumacher expected to stay at Haas for the 2022 season

Nurburgring (Germany), Aug 23 (Motorsports news) Mercedes-AMG driver Arjun Maini has become the first Indian to score points in the prestigious DTM Championship by achieving consecutive top-10 finishes.

Maini showed tremendous maturity by finishing 10th and a career-best seventh at the two races held at the iconic Nurburgring circuit over the weekend.

After enduring a series of unfortunate incidents, the Bengaluru-based driver finally had a race weekend devoid of any on-track misfortune as he delivering a steady and measured drive in both the races.

Racing for the GetSpeed team, Maini struggled to put a good lap together and could only manage a 12th place start for Race 1.

The Indian made a tremendous getaway, making a few places, as the cars made their way around the first lap. However, an incident involving fellow Mercedes driver Max Bukh brought out the Safety Car, meaning the Indian had it all to do again.

Also read: FIA backed Formula Regional Championship and Formula 4 set to be launched in India

The restart saw Maini make up yet more positions with the Indian establishing himself in the top 10.

Unfortunately, tyre wear issues started to hamper Maini’s progress meaning that the Mercedes man was forced to nurse his car home to a 10th place finish.

While history was made on Saturday, there was more to come on Sunday. A wet Qualifying 2 session meant Maini found himself piloting a GT3 race car for the first time in wet-weather conditions.

Maini failed to qualify inside the top 10 meaning he had a mountain to climb during the second race of the weekend starting in P14 .

He showed remarkable maturity in what ultimately proved to be a chaotic race that saw nine cars retire from the event.

In fact, it was a shrewd call from Maini’s GetSpeed racing team that proved to make the difference as an early and well-executed pit-stop saw the Indian make up a host of positions.

News source: PTI

Mumbai, Aug 20 (Motorsports news): The FIA backed Formula Regional Indian Championship and Formula 4 Indian Championship are set to make their debut in the country.

Hosted by Racing Promotions (RPPL), the championships will commence in February 2022, across four cities -- New Delhi, Chennai, Coimbatore and Hyderabad.

The F4 Indian Championships and Formula Regional Indian Championships, which will be based on F3 cars, are both certified by the FIA.

In a first for India, FIA Super License points will be given to winners of these championships.

Also read: Mick Schumacher expected to stay at Haas for the 2022 season

Additionally, Indian Racing League will run as a support race to Formula Regional and F4 India. It is also expected act as a feeder series to promote talent to the two FIA licensed championships.

"An investment of Rs 100 crore has already been made so far into cars and setting up street circuit infrastructure for India's first-ever FIA Graded Street Circuit in Hyderabad," according to the press release shared by the organisers.

In addition to Armaan Ebrahim and Aditya Patel, former Formula 1 driver Narain Karthikeyan and cricket legend Kapil Dev have come on board as mentors and advisors. 

News source: PTI

(Motorsports news) Formula 1 racing team Haas is expected to retain its existing driver line-up into the next season with 22 year old reigning Formula 2 champion Mick Schumacher pairing with Nikita Mazepin.

Mick Schumacher, son of the legendary seven time champion Michael Schumacher, is a member of Ferrari’s driver academy, has regularly outperformed Mazepin and has gone wheel to wheel with title challenger Max Verstappen, especially in Hungary.

Haas has been concentrating on the 2022 car development and is aiming to make big changes to remain competitive amidst the new regulations. In order to increase competitiveness on the track, there has been a major overhaul in Formula 1’s technical rules and Haas are hoping to take advantage of the changes to improve their position from the back of the grid.

Ferrari are closely overseeing Mick Schumacher’s progress at Haas and Team Principal of Ferrari Mattia Binotto has been impressed by the 22 year old’s debut season at the top level. “Mick in his very first year in F1 driving for Haas, I think we said at the start of the season that the objective for him was first no pressure, but to make sure that he is learning,” said Binotto. “So 2021 has to be for him an important year in terms of learning. And I think if we look at that objective he is doing well.

“I think Mick since the start of the season is doing well, he is learning, he is progressing. Obviously a few mistakes, but that's part of the learning process. Overall in terms of balance so far, we can be happy. What’s important for him is to continue developing and progressing in the second half. But I'm confident he can do that.”

Mick Schumacher will undoubtedly hope to one day race for Ferrari, arguably the most iconic Formula 1 team that has ever been and will hope to replicate his fathers career and continue the Schumacher legacy for years to come.

Also read: Formula 1’s Japanese Grand Prix cancelled due to rising COVID-19 cases

Chennai, Aug 19 (Motorsport news): The first round of the 2021 MRF MMSC FMSCI Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship gets underway at the MMRT in nearby Sriperumbudur on Friday with leading riders like Rajiv Sethu, Senthil Kumar, Ahmed and Jagan among others and teams including Honda and TVS set to vie for honours.

A fully sanitised MMRT track will witness a congregation of country’s top racing talent and two-wheeler manufacturers with over 100 entries in the fray in a card of 19 races that will be held behind closed doors, while strictly complying with the Covid-19 safety protocols, said a press release from the organisers.

Honda, TVS, KTM and Yamaha will be competing in four categories of the National championships – the Pro-Stock 301-400cc, Pro-Stock 165cc, Novice (Stock 165cc) and Girls (Stock 165cc) – which also boasts of record 17 private teams. Also in the mix are the two One-Make Championships organised by MMSC for Honda and TVS.

With an impressive line-up of two seasoned riders in the Pro-stock 165cc category, IDEMITSU Honda SK 69 racing team will be eying the championship this year.

The popular Pro-Stock 165cc which is set to witness the return of Pacer Yamaha team after a long gap, boasts of a very competitive field. TVS Racing’s Ahamed, Jagan and Ravikumar will be up against Idemitsu Honda SK69 Racing’s Rajiv Sethu and Senthil Kumar and Pacer Yamaha riders.

Also read: Valentino Rossi: The man, the myth and legend who will never be forgotten

Leading the Honda charge will be the duo of Rajiv Sethu and Senthil Kumar. Backed by international racing experience in the Asia Road Racing Championship, both riders would be gunning for top spots this year.

Meanwhile, the IDEMITSU Honda India Talent Cup 2021 will focus on developing and nurturing young potential riders of today to become India’s star riders of tomorrow, a press note from Honda 2Wheelers India said.

The 12 next-gen riders will ride on the Moto3 spec NSF250R in IDEMITSU Honda India Talent Cup NSF250R. Feeding into this as first step will be the CBR150R category of the talent cup with 14 riders, including the youngest, who is only 11 years old.

Speaking about the 2021 season, Prabhu Nagaraj, senior Vice President - Brand & Communication, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India. Pvt. Ltd. said "Led by the challenging spirit, we are ready for 2021 season of the Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship with an all-rounder line-up across categories and introduction of Honda Hornet 2.0 One Make Race. With two of our expert riders in Pro-stock 165cc category, we aim for the national championship this year." The IDEMITSU Honda Racing India Talent Cup NSF250R will see 12 riders including Kavin Quintal, Varoon S, Geoffrey Emanuel, Charan T from Chennai and Sarthak Chavan vie for honours while the IDEMITSU Honda India Talent Cup CBR150R category will see a 11-year-old Ashwin Vivek from Chennai, who was identified at Honda India Talent Hunt 2021, in action. 

News source: PTI

London (Motorsports news): Extreme E, the electric motorsport series designed to raise climate change awareness, has today announced the Rookie Invitational test as it seeks to welcome the next generation of off road racers.

The Rookie Invitational will start on Monday 25 October 2021 after the fourth round of the inaugural Extreme E season in Sardinia, Italy. Each of the nine Extreme E teams, will be allowed to test two drivers at the Rookie Invitational, one male and one female, in a bid to give more drivers the opportunity to advance in the world of professional motorsport and also join the electric racing revolution.

Each team will have the choice of the drivers it brings and those selected will join up with their respective teams for the duration of the Island X Prix in Sardinia to take part in the event. They will get to grips with the unique nature of the series and immerse themselves amongst the Extreme E paddock.

Also read: Five car final confirmed by Extreme E for Arctic X Prix

Drivers taking part in the Rookie Invitational will be given practice time in the car ahead of completing timed course laps. In between time out on the course, Extreme E will conduct a number of workshops focussed on careers in professional motorsport from drivers in the series, including 2001 Dakar Rally winner and ABT CUPRA XE driver Jutta Kleinschmidt.

Alejandro Agag, CEO and Founder of Extreme E, said: “I’m delighted to announce the Rookie Invitational at the penultimate X Prix of Season 1. It aims to offer drivers interested in competing in Extreme E the opportunity to not only get behind the wheel but immerse themselves in our unique series.

“The idea came about from various conversations with our teams that identified a gap in talent - particularly female drivers - so we wanted to organise this testing day to give more racers the opportunity to throw their hat into the ring and get behind the wheel of our all electric ODYSSEY 21. I’m looking forward to seeing which drivers the teams select, and the wealth of driving talent out there that just need that chance to show off their skills.”

Jutta Kleinschmidt, ABT CUPRA XE driver and President of the FIA Women in Motorsport Cross Country Rally Commission said: “I’m super happy that so many female drivers have the chance to race in Extreme E. The series is the only motorsport event where men and women are mixed 50/50.

“Through the series, and now the Rookie Invitational, we have the chance to discover even more female talents. It is a huge chance for all drivers dreaming of competing in Extreme E that want to prove their skills and talent. I'm very excited and looking forward to seeing a lot of applications. It is an honour to be part of the test programme and have the chance to share my knowledge from my years of experience.”

(Motorsport news) This season’s Japanese Grand Prix, originally scheduled for 8th to 10th October has been cancelled due to the ongoing COVID-19 situation in Japan. Out of the 23 races of the season, Japan was due to be the 17th and now joins the list alongside Australia, China, Canada and Singapore where the races have been cancelled.

In a statement issued by Formula 1, they said “The decision has been taken by the Japanese government to cancel the race this season due to ongoing complexities of the pandemic."

"Formula 1 is working on the details of the revised calendar and will announce the final details in the coming weeks."

This is the second year in a row that Formula 1 has not taken place in Japan due to the pandemic and the 2019 event was disrupted due to the Typhoon Hagibis. The 2021 calendar will conclude for the first time ever with the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on 5th December followed by the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit a week later.

Also read: F1 mid season review: Hamilton vs Verstappen rivalry is just getting started

London (Motorsports news): Extreme E, the full electric off road racing series  today announced a slightly updated sporting format for the upcoming Arctic X Prix in Kangerlussuaq, Greenland which will have a five car Final.

The changes start at qualifying, which spreads over two sessions in which the first one will be in the morning and second one in the afternoon on Saturday 28 August. Each team will have to race two laps of the course, one lap per driver with a driver switch, and the times recorded across the morning session will equate to classification points meaning first place receives 9, second place 8, third place 7 points and so on. The cycle repeats itself  in the afternoon with classification points awarded on the same scale.

The combined overall of these classification points will provide the intermediate standings, which is noted on points instead of times as seen in Saudi Arabia and Senegal, meaning a fairer opportunity for all racers to progress, particularly if a poor time or DNF for example is recorded in a particular session.

Also read: Mercedes AMG driver Nyck De Vries clinches the Formula E title

It is important to note, the classification points do not come under  overall Championship points, these continue to be awarded in the same way as per previous rounds at the end of Qualifying as follows:

1st - 12 points, 2nd - 11 points, 3rd - 10 points , 4th - 9 points, 5th - 8 points, 6th - 7 points , 7th - 6 points, 8th - 5 points and 9th - 4 points.

From the Qualifying rounds teams in first, fifth and sixth place will proceed to Semi-Final 1, with second, third and fourth spots advancing to Semi-Final 2 and teams finishing in seventh, eighth and ninth will proceed to the Crazy Race.

Greenland will provide Extreme E’s first five car Final, made up of the top two teams from Semifinals 1 and 2, plus the winner of the Crazy Race, offering every single team on the grid an opportunity to reach the final race of the Arctic X Prix on Sunday 29 August.

Following the Final, Championship points will be awarded as follows:

1^st - 25 points, 2^nd - 19 points, 3^rd - 18 points, 4^th - 15 points, 5^th - 12 points, Semi-Final 1 3^rd - 10 points, Semi-Final 2 3^rd - 8 points, Crazy Race 1^st - 6 points and Crazy Race 2^nd  - 4 points.

Alejandro Agag, Founder and CEO of Extreme E said: “As a series we are always ready to evolve in order to create the absolute best result, and we believe these changes to the sporting format will offer greater competition and even more exciting racing for our global fanbase.

“I can’t wait to witness some of the biggest names in racing take part in the first motorsport event ever hosted in Greenland, and see who will take the top step on the podium. The course itself looks incredible and I’m sure it will offer some close battles, but it is important to note we are racing on an area which was once a glacier, but has retreated at an accelerated rate due to the climate crisis.”

With only 10 days to go, the Arctic X Prix and preparations are almost complete for holding this world first event in Greenland. Following this, the series will move to Sardinia in Italy for the Island X Prix taking place from 23-24 October.

(Motorsport news) Mercedes AMG driver Nyck De Vries wrapped up the 7th season of Formula E in the last race at Berlin. Mercedes EQ had plenty to celebrate as Nyck’s teammate Stoffle Vandoorne helped them win their first constructor championship. De Vries was leading the world championship heading into the Berlin leg but a horrendous qualifying meant that he started 19th in the penultimate race. Although he made up places, an unfortunate puncture meant that he finished 22nd. This bad race had a lot of consequence as his championship rival Jake Dennis finished the race 5th and closed the title fight to only a point heading into the final race.

In the last race of the season Jake Dennis was required to finish ahead of De Vries as other championship compatriots Mitch Evans and Mortara crashed out in the very first lap. Jake was coming 7th but an over-ambitious overtake cost him his first world championship. This meant that Nyck De Vries took home the championship as he finished 8th in the race. In all honesty, he was rewarded for being the most consistent driver over the 15 races which eventually led him to the title.

Also read: Mahindra Racing record fifth victory in Formula E

The Mahindra racing team had a relatively topsy turvy season as they finished 9th in the constructor championship. Their highlight of the season was certainly when Alex Lynn took home only Mahindra's fifth victory in Formula E history. It was certainly a moment for the Indian motorsports fans to cherish as the Indian national anthem played. Dilbagh Gill (team principal of Mahindra) believes that with Mahindra’s Formula E team they will be able to get back the forgotten motorsport fan base as they proudly represent the tricolour at the world stage.

Having started in 2014, Formula E has grown exponentially since the inauguration as the appeal of faster and close overtaking on street tracks entices the fans to watch it. While it still has time to win over some racing purists, it has created its own brand of entertainment with enviable race calendars and top manufacturers from all over the world. The race calendar for next year is even more enviable as the races will take place in Seoul in South Korea, Vancouver in Canada and Cape Town in South Africa but the championship will be without their two biggest manufacturers in BMW and Audi. Latest reports also claim that the Mercedes EQ team might leave Formula E after next season. Motorsport championships have always been reliant on the whims of manufacturers, but it’s certainly not a positive trend, and one that Formula E bosses will have to address.

(Motorsports news) Legend, Icon, GOAT, Prankster, Idol whatever you label him, Valentino Rossi will be the biggest name transcended around all of motorsports. There have been quite a few mega motorsport icons in the world but none had the astounding influence as “the doctor” on the youngsters and fans. Those who might have been captivated with his iconic number, vibrant designs on his bike or his post race theatrics, quickly became die hard followers of him. One can rarely say that a sport is defined by one man only but in Rossi’s case he created a gravitational pull of its own, sucking fans and gaining international recognition and interest from all over the world who would tune in to see him showcase his magnificent racecraft.

The most famous son from Tavullia rewrote the record books by winning 9 World Championships in all MotoGP classes in a career which spanned over 26 seasons. Pundits have been predicting his retirement ever since he won his last world championship but an unexpected return to form in 2014 where watched his rivals arrive with a gusto only to be left destroyed by his sheer talent and mental gymnastics. Time and time again Valentino is proving that age is just a number but the 42 year old has eventually decided to hang up his leather to join the paddock as a team manager.

Also read: F1 mid season review: Hamilton vs Verstappen rivalry is just getting started

His career will always be remembered for his charisma and lust for bike racing but after retirement, this season there is going to be a huge void left by him. Valentino’s impact is so much so that most of the riders in the current MotoGP grid idolised him growing up. Rossi over his career has managed 115 victories out of which 89 have come in the premier class putting him second to Giacomo Agostini with 122 victories. Rossi ranks third with 9 world championships only behind Agostini 15 and Angel Neito 12.

After retirement, Valentino Rossi will become the team manager of VR46 a team which was started in 2014 in moto3. Now VR46 team has bikes in all the premier racing classes in MotoGP, along with that he also owns the VR46 academy which is producing world championship calibre riders to compete in MotoGP from Italy. Already a legend in the sport, he wants to develop the grassroots of MotoGP by encouraging youngsters through his popularity to take up bike racing.

The retirement of such an icon will not only be felt in MotoGP but the whole of the motorsport world. He's a once in a lifetime generational talent that used to fill out stands with only his ‘number 46’ and ‘doctor’ posters, but with him gone that amazing spectacle will never be witnessed anymore, no one will ever come close to the impact he's had on MotoGP and motorsports in general. The likes of Casey Stoner, Jorge Lorenzo, Marc Marquez have all fallen to the great Valentino Rossi at some point of their career, quite an extraordinary feat to say the least. More than his amazing riding skills fans will miss out on the aura and presence he had on the grid which made them fall in love with the sport to begin with.

(Motorsports news): Tanner Foust from USA is one of the most popular and successful names in  the world of rallycross, will drive for the McLaren Extreme E team next year, McLaren Racing announced today.

Tanner is known as a versatile, multi talented driver famous for his top class car control and track record of podiums, national championships and world records.

A four time and defending U.S. rallycross champion (2019, 2012, 2011, 2010), Tanner has won four X Games gold medals (2013, 2010, 2007), alongside two Formula Drift championships (2008, 2007).

McLaren Racing will announce Tanner’s teammate, who will be the first female McLaren Racing driver, in the near future.

Zak Brown, CEO, McLaren Racing, commented “We are thrilled that Tanner has joined the McLaren Racing family of drivers. He is a top class off-road competitor with a wealth of experience and a winning record. Alongside his driving prowess he’s a fantastic personality, who will help us connect with new fans around the world and bring the purpose and important messages of Extreme E to the fore.

“We’re looking forward to announcing Tanner’s teammate and our first female McLaren driver, to complete our exciting line up.”

Tanner Foust, McLaren Racing Extreme E driver, said “To be able to race for McLaren is every driver’s dream and the opportunity to compete for the team in this innovative and imaginative racing series makes it even more special. The concept is unique and the challenge compelling. It will enable me to draw on all my experience and skills, while being part of a positive cause addressing key issues for our planet and society.”

Also read: Mahaveer tests F1 car in Hungary

About Tanner Foust

Tanner has been on top  in rallycross since the sport was first introduced to the United States in 2010. His varied race experience includes many years of open wheel competition, the Pikes Peak Hill Climb, rallying, sports car racing and the famous Baja. He has also represented his country  in the annual Race of Champions three times (2010, 2009, 2008).

He is the only American driver to win a round of the European Rallycross Championship and  also finished in the top three in both 2011 and 2012.

Tanner has also held numerous world records, including the incredible Hot Wheels Double Loop Dare,  in which he drove a car through a 66 foot loop. He achieved the indoor speed record for TV’s Top Gear USA and set a distance jump record with Hot Wheels when he made a 332 foot ramp to ramp leap in a truck at the Indy 500 back in 2011.

Off the racing track, Tanner demonstrates his impressive car control and driving talent on camera as host for Top Gear and is a stunt driver of huge repute, bringing his remarkable driving capabilities to films, TV shows, and commercials. His movie credits include The Fast and Furious, The Bourne Ultimatum and The Dukes of Hazzard. He also competes in ice racing and has a degree in molecular biology.

Budapest, Aug 5 (Motorsports) Mahaveer Raghunathan on Tuesday became the third Indian to test a Formula One car when he participated in a private session with Alfa Romeo Racing at the Hungaroring here.

Alfa Romeo conduced the private test alongside the Pirelli Tyre Development test done by the other teams. Mahaveer was an interesting choice for the Formula 1 team with the Indian not having the best of records in his single seater career.

He had finished 20th in F2 standings in 2019.

Mahaveer, the 22-year-old from Chennai, drove Alfa Romeo's C38 car on Tuesday. For Mahaveer it was his first ever run in an F1 car, with completing 71 laps on Tuesday before Theo Pourchaire took over the car on Wednesday.

Both learned the car on Sauber's simulator in Switzerland prior to the test. Mahaveer, the winner of the Boss GP series in 2017, said it was a dream come true moment for him.

"I have been looking forward to my first F1 test for quite a long time and it turned out to be a great day with Alfa Romeo F1 car. I have been preparing for this with the team for the past one week and I enjoyed a lot," said Mahaveer.

Also read: Mahindra Racing record fifth victory in Formula E

"I have to thank the entire team at Sauber Motorsports for giving me this opportunity. I also owe it to my friend Luca Zerbini, who made this possible," added the 22-year-old.

Mahaveer is no stranger to the European racing circuit having also competed in Italian F4 (2014), Euro formula Open (2015), Auto GP (2016), GP3 series (2016) and Michelin Me Mans Cup (2018).

News source: PTI

London, Jul 26 (Motorsports) Mahindra Racing recorded their fifth win in Formula E history at the London E-Prix here.

It was an impressive win for Mahindra's Alex Lynn, who was born in Romford, East London, just ten miles from the race track.

The win came on the back of a podium for the British driver the day before in the first of the two weekend's races, when he finished in third place.

Rounds 12 and 13 of the Formula E World Championship took place on a brand-new circuit in London, which uniquely is the first indoor/outdoor racetrack, snaking through the ExCeL centre and the streets around.

In Saturday's qualifying session, Lynn put his M7Electro racing car through to Super Pole for the sixth time this season, and went on to score his first three points of the weekend for going on to secure Pole Position.

In the race, he led for the first half and eventually crossed the line in third position to take his second Formula E career podium. His team-mate Alexander Sims was hit on the first lap and was forced to retire due to accident damage.

Also read: Extreme E teams up with award-winning sustainable brand GROUNDTRUTH

Alex continued his stellar qualifying form on Sunday, collecting the first point of the day for setting the fastest lap in group qualifying and securing his seventh Super Pole appearance.

Starting from third on the grid he executed the perfect race to be crowned winner on his home turf. The result marked his first Formula E race victory and third podium, all of which he has achieved with Mahindra Racing this season.

The weekend's points haul elevates Alex to sixth in the driver's standings, just 17 points off championship leader Nyck De Vries, with all to play for in the season finale in Berlin on 14-15 August.

News source: PTI

Extreme E, the pioneering electric SUV racing series, has announced that its hit magazine programmes – How to Build a Race Car, Electric Odyssey and Climate Changers have been included by British Airways for its exclusive in-flight entertainment channel, High Life.

High Life entertainment has been made accessible to passengers on all of British Airways’ long journey flights and gives the  best choices of movies, sport, TV shows and interactive games.and other forms of entertainment. Tapping a potential audience of up to 1.4 million per month, High Life is considered to be one of the top and most widely watched in-flight broadcasting channels and boasts a multitudes of up-to-the-minute blockbuster movies together with classic TV favourites and jaw dropping documentaries.

The Extreme E is best suited for individuals who have the hunger for adventure and excitement. With exclusive behind-the scenes access to the creation and progression of this ground-breaking motorsport series, the program takes the viewers on a trail all the way from the championship’s beginning through to the mind-blowing race action, the people and brains behind the brilliant concept, as well as the stories of climate change, science, exploration and passion evolving around the series. 

Also read: Extreme E teams up with award-winning sustainable brand GROUNDTRUTH

Ali Russell, Chief Marketing Officer at Extreme E, said: “We are delighted that British Airways has chosen Extreme E’s magazine shows for its prestigious High Life entertainment package. Our sport for purpose championship has so many fascinating stories to tell – everything from the creation of the incredible ODYSSEY 21 electric race car to life on our ocean centrepiece, the St. Helena. These programmes add so much additional depth to the championship and extend the conversation outside of the racing itself.

“Extreme E’s plethora of behind-the-scenes content which includes the fascinating people, the technology, the science and the legacy initiatives, all make for compelling viewing not only for lovers of motor sport but for anyone with a sense of adventure and care for the environment and I’m confident they will delight and entertain BA’s discerning traveller.”

In Motor Sports news, Extreme E  - a sport for purpose races in remote locations damaged by the climate crisis, and in each of those areas targets to make a long-lasting positive influence through its Legacy Programmes. The series is supporting turtle conservation along the Red Sea coastline, an educational programme in Greenland in collaboration with UNICEF and mangrove planting in Senegal.
 

Motorsports News, 21 July 2021, London

GROUNDTRUTH, The 2021 Extreme E event team will be supported by a line of backpacks manufactured from 100 percent recycled plastic and newly innovative collected CO2 - exclusive to the bag market - from the award-winning brand that creates sustainable backpacks, accessories, and expedition kits.

GROUNDTRUTH was founded by sisters Georgia, Nina, and Sophia Scott, and is motivated by Georgia and Sophia's years of travel and experience as documentary filmmakers on the front lines. Their video work exposed them to a variety of harsh conditions, from drought to conflict.These firsthand experiences inspired them and their sister Nina, a textile specialist, to form a company that could provide beneficial answers for the environment.

The sisters have developed their own sustainable materials using cutting-edge technology. A unique ballistic weave cloth manufactured from plastic garbage gathered from landfills, rivers, and oceans around the world is one of them. A total of 120 plastic bottles are used to make each GROUNDTRUTH backpack.

GROUNDTRUTH is now leading the way in building circular lifecycles with their technological partners Carbon Upcycling Technologies. They are moving the fashion and industrial industries forward by combining recycled polyethylene, i.e. domestic plastic trash, with nanoparticles containing solidified atmospheric CO2 obtained from the air.

Sophia Scott said: “We are delighted to be collaborating with Extreme E as we share the vision for actively helping to protect our planet. We are excited to be able to showcase these backpacks and our new CO2 developments on this fascinating world stage. We are constantly exploring the planet for new technologies to remain at the forefront of green innovation.”

Extreme E Chief Marketing Officer, Ali Russell said: “We are delighted to be collaborating with GROUNDTRUTH - they are a truly inspirational company who share our ambitions to promote a carbon zero future.  We are showcasing this through our racing and entertainment platform and they are demonstrating how our waste of today can be used to create functional and stylish products.  We will certainly enjoy exposing the backpacks to the variety of extreme environments and locations through our Extreme E events.”

Also read: An in depth look at the Extreme E battery that powers the ODYSSEY 21

Sophia Scott of GROUNDTRUTH will be part of an all-female team of athletes, sailors, scientists, and storytellers sailing from Iceland to Greenland to test the newly developed material made from CO2 gathered while monitoring the Arctic's ever-changing climate and pollution. TEAM UMIAQ, a six-person team, will create a documentary on the trip and their subsequent learnings. At the end of August, their boat will arrive at Kangerlussuaq, Greenland, at the same time and location as Extreme E's third race event (27-29 August).

This fortuitous coincidence will give their new collaboration a big boost, allowing their united messages to be documented for a massive global audience as well as the on-site attendance at this incredible race event.

The FIA has released a prototype car with the refreshed rules and regulations pertaining to the car design for 2022. The new design has been made to pack the grid closer together in order to make the racing easier and better than ever.

Formula 1 cars act as the opposite of an aeroplane, meaning while the body of an aeroplane has been designed to lift off, the body of an F1 car does the opposite. It sticks closer to the track and makes it faster around the corners and turns. This impact is called down force. It has been hypothesized that a Formula 1 car can drive upside down in a tunnel going at about 130 KMPH.

The current chassis design also makes it harder for anyone to follow it, which means it makes it hard to get close and overtake. The body of the car disturbs the air and makes it ‘dirty’ for the car immediately after, to navigate it in the same way as the one before. The new design has been introduced to eliminate all that, so as to promote more ontrack battles while also maintaining the down force. The 2021 prototype achieves that by smoothening most of the body work and moving a lot of the aerodynamic features to the bottom of the car, so as to keep the air as clean and undisturbed as possible.

The front and rear wings of the car have a different shape when compared to that of now, because the new ones are meant to direct the air flow up and out of the way for the car following, instead of aiming it straight at them. The current stepped floor, in the 2022 automobile will have fully formed underfloor tubes. This change in floor form will allow the teams to generate substantial quantities of downforce via ground effect — downforce that will be less affected when following another car – while also producing less disruptive airflow for the car in front.

Pirelli has also changed the dimensions of their tyre by increasing their diameter from 660 millimetres to 720 millimetres. Big tyres are usually associated with more horsepower but, when it comes to professional race cars the aim is to keep them as light as possible. Every racing team in all motorsports are very aware of the weight they add to their car when they make even the smallest changes. Even the amount of fuel they use for any race is determined after having carefully calculated the minimum amount they would need.

The technical director of the Mercedes F1 team, James Allison has come out and said that the bigger tyres will make the cars slower by 2 seconds per lap which is huge. Having bigger tyres will not only increase the weight or the cars, they'll also require higher rotational mass. Rotational mass of an object is a description of how easy or difficult it is to rotate a body, or to stop it once it is rotating, it depends on where the mass weight has been placed on the object and the closer it is to the center the easier it is to move. On the bigger tyres the weight will be placed further from the center and so, its rotational mass will be higher which would imply fewer rotations leading to slower speed.

The new tyre regulations will also decrease the thickness of the rubber on the wheels, which would mean that they would decrease the amount of bumps and shocks that the wheels absorb for the car. The decreased suspension would require the engineers to add more parts to the car to support the wheels to make for a smoother drive, which would further add weight to the car and slow it down. Formula One is not alone in making the switch to bigger tyres for the future, Indycar and NASCAR are planning it too.

Also read: Merc ‘manifests’ Verstappen DNF into existence

There is a reason why these motorsports are willing to reduce the speeds of the race cars. Turns out thick tyres are the one of the biggest contributors to the dirty air the cars leave behind. The surface of the tyre oscillates while turning and the thicker the rubber the more dirty air is left behind. 2022 cars will reduce the rubber width and also the down force so that the tyres can support the car. This will allow the tyres to be run on lower pressure which will lead to fewer tyre blow outs during races like the two in Baku this year. If that isn't enough to keep the air clean FIA has also added the requirement of winglets that sit above the tyre to keep the air flow undisturbed for the car following.

The minimum weight requirement of the car has been increased by 5% to incorporate the increased weight of the four wheels and tyres which weigh roughly 14kg more than they did in 2021. Most fans would agree that the price is worth paying, given that the new tyres have been intended to be less prone to overheating, among other things. The weight of the car has also been affected by higher safety criteria, with crash test magnitudes being increased to guarantee drivers are better protected than ever before.

Overall we can look forward to next year’s racing as all the teams will have to redesign their cars to fit the new regulations and it will be hard to predict who comes out with the fastest car. These regulations that were meant to come about in 2021 were postponed due to the pandemic. We can expect more intense racing and a higher chances for overtake which will only add to the race excitement.

The name Williams is held in the highest esteem in the world of motorsports. With nine F1 constructor championships (second only to Ferrari), Williams has been the leading engineers and racing protagonists with its sister company Williams Advanced Engineering (WAE) being considered a major force in electric motorsports.

In an interview with Craig Wilson, Williams Advanced Engineering CEO and Glen Pascoe, WAE Principal Engineer, the two spoke about how the Extreme E battery is made, an in depth look at the WAE facility and the challenges they faced in creating a battery that powers the ODYSSEY 21 at some of the most remote and extreme locations around the world.

Q 1) XE: First of all, how did the Williams and Extreme E relationship begin?

Craig Wilson, “Williams had already been involved with Formula E as we were one of the original battery suppliers to the championship when it began in 2014. The technology was relatively young then and we were all learning a great deal – but it was hugely exciting to be part of the electric revolution and to be there from the start and we still are.

“Following the on-track successes we’ve had at Le Mans (providing engineering support for Porsche’s sports car racing programme), through the hybrid F1 era, then four seasons supplying batteries to the first-generation Formula E grid (and due to supply the Gen 3 batteries), together with being technical partner for Jaguar Racing, we have learned a lot about how to extract the highest levels of performance from a battery.

“Having proven our capabilities with Alejandro Agag, SPARK and the team in Formula E, we were then in a good position to pitch for the Extreme E sole developer role in 2019.”

Q 2) XE: What steps did Williams take to create the battery?

Glen Pascoe, “In Extreme E, the challenge is arguably even greater than for other series as we are taking battery technology away from the traditional race circuit and into hostile environments, where humidity, dust, extremes of temperature, shock and vibration will play a huge part and to that end, the batteries have had to be uniquely tailored for the environment.

“And with races being head-to-head over short distances, the batteries are sized to manage high intensity operation over a shorter time than in other e-racing series, but in a far harsher environment. As a result, we have developed a whole new module that can produce 400kW peak power in a bespoke battery construction along with an entirely new pre-race conditioning system to maximise robustness and minimise mass.

“Simplicity, serviceability and modularity were all critical design requirements. Commercially available cells were selected and designed into a pack in conjunction with the series to align both with the race format and the vehicle performance duty cycle. Working with limited space in the car, we had to meet tough power and mass performance targets and deliver a bespoke battery pack design in under 12 months!”

Q 3) XE: How has the battery performed in the first two X Prix’s of Extreme E’s debut season, Saudi Arabia and Senegal, and what were the challenges that you faced?

Glen Pascoe, “The biggest challenges in Saudi Arabia were definitely sand and the temperature! Thin air was also an issue.

“The first run simulation took part at the hottest time of the day and a battery rebuild we carried out was intensive and not helped by strong winds and even a sandstorm providing an unwelcome interruption, which covered all battery parts and electronics with a fine grit. We broke out the vacuum to begin a deep clean for all components. Eventually, the batteries were ready, and it was time for the team-wide shakedown on Friday 2 April.

“The first qualification session saw two major impacts - Stephane Sarrazin in the Veloce Racing car and Claudia Hürtgen in the ABT Cupra XE – and after the driver’s safety was checked, we were delighted to see that both batteries remained absolutely intact, safe and damage-free, showing the green light all the way through the car recovery process.

“The Senegal event brought a mixture of similarities and differences to Saudi in the challenges we faced at the track. Whilst not as hot as Saudi Arabia, ambient temperatures remained high and were accompanied by 90%+ humidity levels. This brought its own unique challenges in ensuring we were actively managing the battery temperature both during the on-track action and between races.

“Alongside this the Senegal event showed the cars tackling a very demanding, technical and aggressive track. The batteries were constantly punished with heavy impacts and harsh vibrations as the cars bounced around the dunes and deep ruts. Ensuring battery health throughout the weekend was key to ensuring a successful event.

“Both of the first two races offered humidity, dust, extremes of temperature, shock and vibration!”

Glen concludes, “To break it down, we came away with the knowledge that...

The batteries performed flawlessly even with the severe impacts that happened in the Desert X Prix as well as the intense head to head battles we saw in the Ocean X Prix. Working on the batteries on location went really well, which is a reflection of all the design work and that went into them

Servicing and maintaining the batteries throughout the events went well, which is a reflection of all the design work that went into them

Again, the batteries performed well in Senegal, a 6km long harsh, technical course, through woods and on the beach

480 KM mileage was recorded in Senegal and 1070 km across the 2 races

1120KWh energy discharged in Senegal and nearly 2000kWh across both events

Over 12 hours of on-track running

Q 4) Have you made any improvements since then?

Glen Pascoe, “Refinement of BMS models to extract maximum performance. And we have optimised the rate at which we log and collect data during an event to ensure most efficient learning.”

Also read: Sport TV Portugal confirms deal with Extreme E for debut season

Q 5) What are you expecting when you go to the next X Prix in Greenland in August?

Glen Pascoe “No more sand!! But yes, we’ll have to adapt and optimise to the vastly different climate and track conditions. The very new challenges of snow and of course water and mud. There will be stone impact and less grip resulting in more drift and vertical impact.

“In addition to the physical challenges, the remoteness of the location means we need to forward plan for every eventuality before arriving on location as there will be no opportunity for late deliveries or freight, no additional transport available or indeed, supplies!”

Q 6) How do you see the battery developing further as Season 1 progresses?

Glen Pascoe, “Unlocking further vehicle performance as we gather more data on the battery and the overall powertrain.”

Q 7) What are the options for the battery at the end of Season 1?

Glen Pascoe, “Batteries have been designed for multi-season use, so WAE will inspect, re-test and go again.  Any incremental improvements available will be implemented during the turn-around. Once batteries reach the end of their final racing season, the cells can be easily removed as module ‘building blocks’ and configured into a suitable second life application. Some components are targeted for reuse in alternative applications, and some will be recycled in order to recover valuable raw materials.”

Q 8) How important are collaborations like this for race to road transfer?

Craig Wilson, “They are a key part of transferring technology to road cars, specifically in areas such as fast charging, battery management and software development. Essentially, affordability comes with volume production. By pioneering and showcasing EV technology in a series such as Extreme E, manufacturers will be able to “carry over” technology into road cars and in doing so, enable the technology to become more affordable.”

Q 9) How is Williams’ technology implemented in cars we see on the road today?

Craig Wilson, “As mentioned previously the key technology areas will likely be improved energy density, lifecycle, durability, power capability and fast charging. In addition, there will probably be a greater than ever emphasis on software in order to unlock more of the potential of the battery chemistry using advanced algorithms for increased performance, safety and reliability.”

Apart from all that, are you looking forward to racing Greenland? What are you most excited about?

Glen Pascoe, “Snowball fights in August of course!!

“No seriously, this is huge as no previous international motorsport events have ever been held in Greenland, so the WAE team are proud to be supporting this unique and ground-breaking event. Seeing the cars go head-to-head in a challenging new climate for the drivers will also be so exciting to watch. We can’t wait!”

Just when Motorsports fans had started to believe that Max was going to dominate the championship from Austria onwards, the season spiraled into a frenzy. Whenever asked questions about what Mercedes were going to do about the 32 point lead that Red Bull had against them, they kept insisting that they would just patiently manage the gap and would suggest that they were just one DNF away from their rivals. Not only did Max crash but even Red Bull’s second driver Perez was out of the points because he started his race from the pitlane due to his unfortunate sprint qualifying.

Spectators were left speechless after the first race incident between championship contenders Hamilton and Verstappen. Everyone was expecting a flat out race between the two but no one could have anticipated the crash that the Red Bull driver suffered. As soon as the lights went out, their gloves came off and while usually in the past races of this season Lewis and Max would have a brief fight for positions at the start, one of them would usually take the lead and run with it, this time however the defending champion did not concede. Hamilton’s front left tyre entangled with Max’s rear right and the latter ended up spinning followed by reverse speeding off the track and ending up crashing straight into the barriers at an impact of about 51 Gs.

While the Red Bull driver limped out of his battered car, Hamilton walked away with a 10 second penalty and took a victory at his home Grand Prix for the 8th time. There was ofcourse a lot of chatter in the paddock following the incident, many along with team principal Christian Horner suggesting Lewis deserved a race ban while others just called it a racing incident. Horner called out the 7-time World Champion later in an interview and said it was a ‘desperate error’ from the driver and it was ‘unacceptable.’ He (Horner) was even heard saying that it was a ‘Professional foul’ suggesting Lewis deliberately took out his opponent.

In the Formula One post-race interview, Red Bull substitute driver Alex Albon and journalist Will Buxton discussed the crash at length and compared it to earlier overtakes on the same corner. Although two drivers on track are battling, they try to give each other the space to pass and both drivers are very competent, in this instance many variables came into play such as the speed they were going or the heat of the moment or even just a misjudgement from both drivers. Lewis had witnessed on Saturday in the Sprint qualifying just how fast Max had pulled away from him when he didn’t challenge him. Max has always been a driver to never back down from a fight on track and it was becoming a pattern in the races. with the pressure of piling points and fewer races left on the calendar, Lewis decided this time that he wouldn’t give in and both drivers tried to squeeze each other into backing off, leading to them touching with Max being the unlucky one.



Max later stirred the pot further, by tweeting from the hospital saying that he was glad that he came out unharmed other than minor injuries, but he felt that Hamilton’s celebration was ‘disrespectful and unsportsmanlike.’ I think it’s safe to say we are going to have a very interesting Hungarian Grand Prix and there will only be elbows out racing.

Charles Leclec gave an outstanding performance. He overtook Bottas at the race start and then went on to overtake Lewis after his crash with Versatappen. The Ferrari driver then led every lap except the last three when the Mercedes driver caught up to him and passed him to take the victory. Leclerc came very close to take the win which would have been extra special because Ferrari were commemorating 70 years since their first win at Silverstone. He came in second despite having a couple of engine power cuts during the race.

Also read: A Grand-Slam weekend for Verstappen

Lando Norris also came very close to winning his first race in Formula 1. At one point, he was third on track with only Charles and Lewis in front of him and the latter was yet to serve his 10 second penalty. The Mclaren driver ran a spectacular race but unfortunately suffered because of a slow pit stop and ended up losing two positions more than intended. However, he now stands third in the Driver’s Championship Standings owing to Perez’s poor performance.

Sergio Perez had his worst race this season at Silverstone. His spin in Sprint qualifying caused the team to retire his car and he had to start his race from the pit lane. He was on a two stop strategy and didn't end up in a points position so he pitted a third time to take away the fastest lap point from Hamilton. Overall, a very disappointing race for Red Bull, neither of their drivers scored any points other than the 3 that Verstappen scored for his Pole position finish on Friday. The only other driver to not cross the finishing line other than Max was Aston Martin driver Sebastian Vettel.

The gap between the two Championship rivals is now down to 4 points. The season has spiced up again and the sprint qualifying successfully shuffled the grid. The Championship between the two drivers has intensified more than ever and I would even go as far as to say things have gotten personal. Red Bull is sick of the 7 time World champions trying to play underdogs and Mercedes is done with their rival having the upper hand and only the next race can tell us who comes out on top. 

Can Esports events ever be as big as a Superbowl or ICC World Cup? The answer is that they already are. Esporting finals fill entire stadiums and arenas with audiences and the events sell out within hours. Fans pay for and log on to streaming services just to watch their favourite gamers practice. However there is still a lot of debate surrounding whether or not Esports actually count as sports at all.

One of the main concerns that traditional sporting fans have is that Esports athletes don’t have to maintain physical fitness to be good and there is no real movement. Some contend that a sports performance, the result of the athlete's mind and body interacting – such as a golfer swinging a club and striking the ball – must be included in the definition of sport. What these people don’t know is that to be a successful professional gamer athletes have to have reaction speeds similar to that of major league baseball players and NHL goalies. Their movement on keyboards and equipment reflect those of high level musicians. The cortisol they produce is much like that of a NASCAR driver. Their heartbeats can go up to 160-180 beats per minute.

In Esports, the body and physical activity play a different role. In hand-eye coordination, for example, the body is not involved beyond connection with the input device and game software. However, recent years have seen popular acceptance of mental sports such as chess, as well as the growing importance of technology-assisted components of other sports, such as motor sports. Then there are also VR headset games that require proper body movement to play.

A gamer can even incur injuries if they don’t take care. Gamers are frequently affected by carpal tunnel syndrome. The carpal tunnel, which connects the nerves in your arm and hand, can become narrow, limiting your range of motion. You may also get discomfort in your hand. If your condition worsens, your hand will eventually become weaker. Tennis elbow can be acquired without ever setting foot on a tennis court. It can also be acquired while playing video games. The tendon that allows your fingers to extend can be damaged by the repetitive motion of gaming. You will experience pain in your elbow and forearm, which may extend down your arm. Gamers often complain about neck, shoulder and back pain which is common to any other sport. They even experience retina fatigue.

Professional gamers have now started having proper coaches and fitness regimens because they have noticed an increase in level of performance by exercising and so now they do it regularly. They eat healthy and understand the importance of good sleep and mental health for their performance. Colleges have started to provide equal scholarship programmes for both regular and eSports which means they are required to maintain a minimum grade average in their studies to be allowed to participate. They even get athletics visas to travel internationally for such events.

There is a huge following for Esports. Esports professional players have close and personalised relationships with their fans like no other sport. Twitch is an online streaming app that allows gamers to broadcast their game to viewers all over the world anytime and for however long. Fans watch for free or pay to subscribe to and support their favourite athletes. There is big money in the sport and huge promotional deals. Motorsports gaming is probably the closest online counterpart to the real sport and during the pandemic many young and experienced drivers participated in online championships to keep their fans entertained. If anything, the pandemic heightened the need to push esports and gave it the momentum it needed to get the respect it deserves.

There has recently been a lot of talk to include Esports in Olympics and one of the concerns that has come forward is that Esports don't share the values of regular sports but they couldn’t be more wrong. Many argue that video games don't build character the way sports do but esports athletes playing these sports have to develop their communication skills, teamwork, leadership, and strategic thinking. These people that practice all by themselves in a lonely setting find this sense of community and belonging, a place where they are appreciated in a life which otherwise might not be very happening.



Another point that people bring up is games such as Call of Duty promote violence and delinquency. That only happens when there is no one watching. Any sport can be toxic and violent if there is no disciplinarian present. It isn’t like the Olympics doesn’t already host other combat sports such as boxing and wrestling; sports that inflict real physical pain. Structure is what elevates sports. If the Olympics is able to provide set rules and regulations for participants to follow it would only promote sportsmanship and respect for other players. Already many organisations exist that look over Esports and that are present at big e-sporting events to maintain code of conduct and the rules of the games. Video games also provide the rare opportunity for co-ed competition. In certain cases even disabled players can compete on the same level as able-players.

Newer audiences wonder if there are spectacular sporting moments in Esports. They doubt they will be as entertained or as engaged as they are with regular sports and there is only one way to find out. It is by experiencing them. Video games are engaging and they do leave you on the edge of your seat just like any other sport. You can never predict who is going to win a game and you can get very surprised by the turn of events. Just like any other sport, players recognize their opponents talents and learn to respect them.

The adjective "competitive" is essential in the IOC judgement; an analogy might be the difference between a morning run in the park and a race. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has recognised the importance of a competitive aspect - “the winning or losing” of an event held in accordance with a set of rules. Competitive Esports are required to check that box. Indeed, because the computer software driving an eSport game eliminates the subjective and potentially inaccurate input of a referee or judge, one can also claim that it is a competition, but one that is more fair.

However, while Esport provides opportunities for sport, it also creates obstacles. To comprehend these difficulties, one must first acknowledge the significant relevance of intellectual property in modern sport. In eSport, ethical and disciplinary issues have already surfaced. Verbal abuse appears to be rather widespread. For example, after a history of verbal abuse, the athlete Christian "IWillDominate" Rivera was banned from participating for a year. Match-fixing has made its presence felt once again. Four Counter-Strike players from North America have been suspended.

Furthermore, performance-enhancing medications are said to be widely used. The International eSports Federation (IeSF) signed the World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) Code to make it clear that it also applies to the eSports business, although the IeSF has a small membership and may never acquire popularity. Several high-profile athletes were said to have withdrawn from a Galaxy Battles II event planned in Manila in January 2018 due to the Philippines' Games and Amusements Board requiring stringent drug testing. As a result, the tournament's status as a Major on the Pro Circuit was revoked.

Getting into Esports is by no means cheap but it is very inexpensive when compared to regular sports. Esports however does bring something to the table most other sports don't, which is that it prepares its players for STEM careers. There is a future for them after they decide to retire from gaming. They can go into game development, coding, technology and others. They can go on to have a successful future even after their gaming careers are over. There have been studies that found that surgeons who play video games make 37% fewer errors.

The parallels between sport and Esport are undeniable. Both are competitive sports that require ability, training, and judgement. Fans are hooked by both in a passionate and emotional way. Both are grassroots and elite organizations. Both have big events that are supported by commercial programmes. Both have their own media outlets or channels. Events can be staged in front of big audiences in enormous auditoriums and locations. It's all about how we perceive it and how open minded we are to the possibility of making Esports feel included. It will keep getting bigger regardless. It is more hands on and engaging especially for the youth. These games promote people to make friends from all across the world and play against each other without ever having met. It is something anyone can do from the vicinity of their homes and very easily too. It is on a momentum of its own. We have the choice; we can  either be ignorant or we can be supportive and help elevate Esports.

Also read: Esports industry in India expected to grow quadruple in size by 2025: EY report

In motorsports, Extreme E, the world's first electric SUV race series, has signed a new broadcast deal with Sport TV in Portugal. Sport TV, based in Lisbon, is broadcasting the entire Extreme E X Prix, as well as race highlights, on its linear channels in both English and Portuguese. The championship's spectacular race action is also available to watch live on Sport TV's digital platform.

Sport TV, with five premium channels and one sports news channel, is Portugal's main sports-oriented cable and satellite television network. The station's broadcast reach also extends to African countries such as Angola, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde, So Tomé and Principe, and Equatorial Guinea, where Portuguese is the official language.

As part of its agreement with the European Commission, Portugal, like many other countries, is under pressure to dramatically reduce harmful carbon emissions. One way it has done this is by expanding access to electric-powered public transportation, a move that has already helped to reduce CO2 levels substantially, primarily in urban areas.

Extreme E aspires to showcase electrification and performance while raising awareness, promoting action, and emphasizing the consequences of climate change through its top-tier broadcast package. By focusing on the environment through racing, consumers are encouraged to choose electric transportation as a way to decrease their personal carbon footprint and contribute to the shortening of the climate emergency.

“Extreme E is happy to be joining Sport TV's existing and wide-ranging sporting line-up in Portugal, as well as the Portuguese-speaking regions of Africa,” said Ali Russell, Chief Marketing Officer at Extreme E.

“Extreme E’s mission to race without trace whilst simultaneously raising awareness of climate issues, means it is vital that our series reaches as many audiences on as many platforms as possible throughout the world. Working with Sport TV not only provides viewers in Portugal and its African regions with a thrilling and innovative motorsport championship, but also helps convey the benefits of electrification through our brilliant and entertaining broadcast package.”

Extreme E is a competition that not only features short, swift, exciting wheel-to-wheel racing, but also has a larger purpose that revolves around the environment, which is regrettably under jeopardy. This year, the series travels to five different locations, all of which are afflicted by environmental challenges such as desertification, ice melting, plastic pollution, and rising carbon emissions.

Extreme E is a sustainable motorsport that uses a number of strategies to lower its carbon footprint, from racing electric SUVs to zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell car charging, but it goes even farther and wants to be net-carbon zero by the end of its inaugural season.

On the 28th and 29th of August, the Arctic X Prix will be held in Kangerlussuaq, Greenland.

Sports News: Seven Network has confirmed that it will broadcast Extreme E an innovative electric series on its free to air network and on 7plus, a market-leading BVOD platform. It is a part of Seven West Media. Seven Network will air Extreme E programmes throughout leading cities like Sydney, Melbourne, Brisban, Adelaide, Perth, and regional Queensland.

Seven will air Extreme E’s one-hour highlights programmes which will feature the best electric-SUV race action from remote places across the planet that are affected by the climate crisis. The championship has been to Saudi Arabia’s deserts in April and the beaches of Senegal in May. Their next stop is Greenland in August where Molly Taylor and Johan Kristofferson along with off-road legends will battle it out for racing honours on the edge of the ice cap. The aim is to bring the focus on the effects of climate change in that part of the world.

Ali Russell, Chief Marketing Officer at Extreme E, said: “Australia is a hugely important territory for Extreme E and so we are delighted that its premier network Seven will be broadcasting our excellent highlights shows.

“Australia is undoubtedly way ahead of the curve when it comes to concern for the environment so I am confident that audiences here will really identify with what is at the heart of Extreme E. Our mission to race without trace whilst simultaneously raising awareness of climate issues, means it is vital that our series reaches as many people as possible throughout the world.

“Working with Seven not only provides viewers in Australia with a thrilling and innovative motorsport championship – and one that Australian female superstar Molly Taylor happens to be  leading – but also helps convey the benefits of electrification through our entertaining broadcast package.”

Managing Director Seven Melbourne and Head of Network Sport, Lewis Martin, said: “We’re rapt to add Extreme E to Seven’s unrivalled motorsport line-up, starting with the highlights of next month’s Arctic X Prix in Greenland. Extreme E is an exciting new format fans will love and the Aussie public will get right behind Seven motorsport’s own Molly Taylor as she bids to take out the inaugural championship.”

“It adds to a massive year on Australia’s Home of Motorsport, which already includes the Supercars Championship – headlined by October’s iconic Bathurst 1000 – and the TCR Australia Series.”
 

The FIA has been trying now for a while to make the race weekend more engaging and entertaining for the spectators that attend, so as to have a big event on all three days. Traditionally, we have free practice one and two on Friday; free practice three and qualifiers on Saturday with the main race on Sunday. This year they are using the Formula 2 race weekend format in three races this year on a trial basis to see how it goes.

Watch out for those points tables

The qualifying that usually happens on the Saturday will be moved to Friday and it will set the grid for the sprint race on Saturday which will be run for 100kms for about 25 to 30 minutes. This will provide a tight action-packed spectacle that should essentially give the condensed experience of an actual race. It will be different to the main race because everyone is required to be on soft tyres and there will be no mandatory pit-stops. All the drivers will be on full send and will race freely because they don’t have to worry about preserving their tyres. This will give the viewers something big to look forward to on all 3 days of the weekend and it will also mix up the grid which will result in a more interesting race on Sunday.

Points will also be awarded for the top three finishes;
Pole position- 3 points
Second place finish - 2 points
Third place finish - 1 point

The Iconic Formula 1 track, Silverstone to kickstart the inaugural sprint race

The historic British Grand Prix is going to be the first race on the calendar to test the format and because Silverstone is hosting the race with a ‘full capacity’ audience, the fans really have something to look forward to. We will hear from the spectators whether the sprint race really does improve the race weekend.

We don’t know yet where the format will be tried out next but it is widely expected to be tried out at Monza in the Italian Grand Prix next. This format however is not intended to be applied to an entire season even if it does work out. The hope is to have it only on certain races on the calendar every year, as there are tracks such as the Monaco street-circuit where it would not pan out well, because overtaking in a modern Formula 1 car is next to impossible there. It will only ever be hosted on tracks that would suit the sprint race format and it would be hosted to spice up the calendar with only a few such races to look out for.

Currently Max Verstappen and Red Bull have a huge lead against Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes in the battle for the Formula One Championship Standings. Lando Norris is just trailing Sergio Peres by 3 points in the Driver’s Championship for third. Mercedes hasn’t yet decided who they want for their second driver in the 2022 season. Will it be Bottas or will it be Russsel or will it be a wild card? Lando will be 4 penalty points away from a race-ban at Silverstone, will he have to miss a race this season; and for reasons many believe are undeserving of such an extreme? The mid-field fights can not be more closely packed together. The Sprint races might be just the thing to jumble up the standings.

Also read: Australian GP cancelled for second straight year

Extreme E, the sport for purpose electric racing series, has announced the launch of Morocco's SNRT to its broadcast lineup.

This year's championship, as well as highlights, previews, reviews, and SNRT's 20-part magazine programme, the Electric Odyssey, will be broadcast live and in full in both Arabic and French by Société Nationale de Radiodiffusion et de Télévision, Morocco's major state broadcasting service. Extreme E's X Prixs will also be accessible to watch on arryadia.com, a digital platform.

SNRT's headquarters are in Rabat, and the company employs 2,300 people across its various media outlets. SNRT is noted for its proactive approach to environmental issues as well as a strong endorsement of gender-equal opportunities inside its organisation, in addition to its diverse menu of sporting and lifestyle programmes.

In early April, Extreme E made its debut in the Saudi Arabian desert, followed by the Ocean X Prix in Senegal in May. Sébastien Loeb, Carlos Sainz Snr., Johan Kristofferson, Mikaela hlin-Kottulinsky, Molly Taylor, and Catie Munnings competed for race honours in enormous 550bhp ‘ODYSSEY 21’ electric SUVs, which wowed audiences around the world. Johan Kristofferson and Molly Taylor, driving for Rosberg X Racing, won both thrilling Finals.

Ali Russell, Chief Marketing Officer at Extreme E said: “SNRT and its associated channels are a great fit for our electric racing championship, and we are delighted to have secured this deal.  Apart from being able to extend our excellent broadcast package to the Moroccan region, SNRT shares many of Extreme E’s core values such as gender equality and concern about the world’s climate crisis - both of which are key pillars behind our sport for purpose series.

“Extreme E’s X Prixs in Saudi Arabia and Senegal were overwhelming successes and the feedback from fans has been resoundingly positive. We cannot wait to bring more thrilling action to viewers when we race in Greenland at the end of August.”

Hassan Boutabssil, Head of Arryadia, Moroccan Sports Channel /Sports Rights Manager at SNRT added: “Extreme E is a future facing sport with the environment, entertainment, equality and electrification at its core. Morocco has moved to renewable energy solutions and we love the way sport for purpose resonates with Extreme E.”

Extreme E has proven to be not only a must-see event for motorsports lovers, but also a new era of racing that prioritises environmental concerns.

The series now moves on to Greenland after races in Saudi Arabia and Senegal (28-29 August). The goal is to promote viewers' knowledge and interest in environmental concerns by organising races in locations that are suffering from the environmental crisis, such as deserts and the Arctic.

In order to limit the championship's carbon footprint, races are held without spectators. In addition, the championship ferries race equipment by sea on the St. Helena, the event's floating centrepiece.

London: In the latest motorsports news, Extreme E, the electric motorsport series has announced today that National Geographic will broadcast its magazine programmes - ‘How to Build a Race Car’, ‘The Electric Dream´and ‘Climate Changers’ - along with all of its debut season X Prixs on a delayed basis in its region of Latin America. The programmes will be televised in both Spanish and Portuguese.

In its debut season, this very entertaining ‘sport for purpose’ series has already got off to a rocking start with two amazing events – the first in AlUla, Saudi Arabia, in April followed by the most recent in Dakar, Senegal.

Millions of fans around the globe sat glued to their screens as motorsporting stars like Sara Price, Kyle LeDuc, Jamie Chadwick, Mattias Ekström, Molly Taylor and Johan Kristoffersson, took on the championship in their monster ODYSSEY 21 race cars on gravel, rocks and stunning sand dunes – not only with the objective of taking home the prestigious Extreme E trophies, but also with the goal to create awareness regarding the adverse effects of climate change on these fragile locations.

Alongwith the racing, the Extreme E team also implements Legacy Programmes within the areas it visits with a view to bring about positive change.

Ali Russell, Chief Marketing Officer at Extreme E said: “Extreme E is delighted to have secured National Geographic as a broadcaster. The channel is famed for its brilliant and fascinating documentaries on science, adventure, nature and environmental topics, all of which are subjects close to the heart of our championship.

“As well as our great racing, Extreme E is in essence, a ground-breaking adventure for all of us. I believe that the stories behind the series, the people involved, our legacy projects and even the history of our floating centrepiece, the St. Helena, will delight and inspire National Geographic’s audiences. Coupled with our on-going scientific research into the effects of climate change and what can be done to lessen the terrible damage that its causing, makes for a broadcast that is as captivating as it is eye-opening and we want to share this with as many people as possible.”

Following the first two X Prixs in Saudi Arabia (3-4 April) and Senegal (29-30 May), Extreme E now moves on to Greenland (28-29 August) with the last two race venues to be confirmed. By holding races in locations that are suffering due to the environmental crisis, such as deserts and the Arctic, the objective is to increase viewers' interest and awareness in environmental issues.

Disappointing news for motor sports fans in Australia as the Australian Grand Prix gets cancelled for a second straight year. Melbourne usually marks the start of the F1 season and was cancelled mid-weekend last year as Coronavirus hit the world. This year however, it was moved up the calendar to meet the Covid conditions. However, not enough people have been vaccinated for it to be safe for them to host the Grand Prix. Due to the state's delayed vaccine rollout and the federal government's recent decision to halve its overseas arrivals cap, the feasibility of the event could not be guaranteed.

Race organisers had requested a fly-in, fly-out arrangement with a biosecure hub set up for drivers, team officials, and crew in order to eliminate the required 14-day quarantine period that would prevent them from competing in another race. Due to the current and ever changing international travel restrictions, Australia will not be able to allow such a large number of International travelers into the country.

Aussie fans will not get a chance to see their hometown hero Daniel Ricciardo in action in the flesh. Although the FIA has promised a 23-race F1 calendar to their viewership, it is not yet known where the replacement race will be held. Other GPs to be called off this year include Singapore and Canada.

Also read: A Grand-Slam weekend for Verstappen

 

London: In the latest motorsports news, the electric off-road racing series, Extreme E today announced Tamara Molinaro as its Championship Driver, following the news of predecessor Jutta Kleinschmidt racing for the ABT CUPRA XE for the remainder of  this 2021 season.

Tamara started her racing career at the age of 11 and the Italian born gradually made her way up to the U27 European Rally Championship winning the Ladies European Rally Champion title as the second-youngest after Andretti United Extreme E’s Catie Munnings – in 2017 after trumping four of the eight rounds and topping the board in 40 stages.

In 2018, Tamara headed into the WRC2 class in the World Rally Championship and in 2019 dovetailed a second season on the WRC support bill with a Titans RX Rallycross Championship campaign – the only women in the series – with wins at several qualification races and finishing 5th overall.

In 2020, the 23 year old competed in the Italian Gravel Championship, finishing at number two in the U25 standings, and first in the Ladies standing. This year, Tamara continued to contest in the Italian Gravel Championship, recently completing the San Marino Rally in seventh position, putting her sixth in the overall standings.

Tamara Molinaro joins the series as Championship Driver alongside Timo Scheider, supporting the Extreme E in both an advisory role and as a back-up driver in case any of the sides require a replacement during an X Prix, as owing to the nature of the race locations, the sides won't have a reserve driver on site.

James Taylor, Chief Championships Officer, Extreme E, said: “We are delighted to welcome Tamara to Extreme E. She has a great pedigree already at such a young age in both rallying and rallycross, and we think she will bring a lot to Extreme E, and be the perfect replacement should any teams require her at our upcoming X Prixs.

“But her role is much wider than that, and we are looking forward to having her in Greenland with us for the Arctic X Prix and receiving her input on the course alongside Timo [Scheider]. Having spent time as both a driver and co-driver she has a fantastic perspective on racing, so her feedback will be crucial to creating another spectacular X Prix.

“Finally, our thanks and appreciation go out to Tamara’s predecessor Jutta Kleinschmidt who played a big part in the success of our opening two events. We now look forward to watching her race for ABT CUPRA XE for the rest of the Season.”

Tamara Molinaro, Extreme E’s newly appointed Championship Driver, added: “I have been working really hard to try and get involved in Extreme E over the past few months as I’ve followed the series with huge interest since the beginning. I think it is one of the most exciting and fair racing formats ever and the thought of being able to race with a purpose gives me extra motivation.

“My goal has always been to make it to the top of the motorsport ladder so the opportunity to work within Extreme E as a Championship Driver is a dream come true, and I will put all my efforts into doing my job in the best way possible. I can’t wait to get started in Greenland!”

In Motorsports news, Max Verstappen wins in Austria a second consecutive time and extends his 18-point lead to 32 against Lewis. He not only won the race but with pole, fastest lap and victory, having led every lap he earned his first-ever grand slam weekend. The stands were overflowing with Dutch fans wearing orange shirts supporting Max and they couldn't be more thrilled to see Verstappen ease to victory.

The Red Bull driver had no real threats unlike the Styrian GP. Championship contender Hamilton had made his way up to P2 and then suffered from aerodynamic damage because of which he had to let Bottas and Norris through, ending his own race at P4 just outside of the podium.

Lando Norris delivered a spectacular performance, he managed to land a career-best and a front row start qualifying in P2, missing out on P1 by a mere 0.04s from Max Verstappen. What is it about him and the Red Bull Ring? He scored his maiden podium here in 2020 and managed to do it again on merit alone in 2021, despite having served a 5-second time penalty for easing Perez off-track Norris came in third. The penalty however cost him second place.

Also read: A recap of The 2021 Formula 1 season so far!

Sergio Perez had a disastrous race after having the turn 4 incident with Norris. Perez ended up off the track and rejoined at P10, from there he made up 5 place but received two 5 second penalties for pushing Leclerc off the track twice.The 10 seconds cost the Mexican P5 resulting in Sainz moving up a place.

Mr. Saturday, George Russel drove his Williams to the limit and managed to put his car on P9 for the race start, giving the team their first appearance in Q3 since 2018. Sadly he couldn’t score any points on Sunday. Esteban Ocon’s race came to a halt on lap 1 as his car got caught between two others and was forced to retire. Multiple penalties were given out to drivers on Sunday with some even getting penalized twice. There were many nail-biting moments throughout the weekend.

After the intense triple header, the drivers and the teams will get some much needed downtime. The next race to look forward to is ofcourse the 2021 British Grand Prix at Silverstone on July 16-18. It will hold the first ever sprint race qualifying for Formula 1 on Saturday.

The 2021 Formula 1 season is turning out to be more action packed than anyone could have hoped for and we can’t have enough of it! Max Verstappen and Red Bull have really brought the competition to the reigning seven-time World Champions; Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team. Max won the race last week in Austria and we are racing there again this weekend.

Currently, the 23-year old Dutchman has an 18-point lead in the Drivers’ Standings and he has placed first or second in every race except Baku because of the tyre failure. Red Bull has been on a winning streak for the last four races and are 40 points clear of their rivals. Verstappen has delivered a stellar performance this season and seems to have way more experience than his age would suggest, and with the help of Perez who is looking very good in the second seat at Red Bull, Max only looks better. The excellent driver pair-up allows the team to use better strategies in the races.

Tensions are picking up in the Mercedes’ garage. Having said that, I wouldn't write off the German team so easily. If there is any team in the paddock that can step up and meet their competition head-on, we know it's Mercedes. We have to keep in mind that in 2017, Sebastian Vettel in the Ferrari had a 25-point lead and in 2018 he had a 17-point lead on Hamilton. He managed to turn it around by the end of the season.

Despite how much Hamilton has said in the media that Red Bull has a better package, upgrades and how strong they look, Toto Wolf, their team principal confirmed at the end of last weekend that there will be no upgrade packages for the Mercedes-AMG car, claiming that they can’t put all their eggs in one basket especially with the budget cap and the completely new rules for next year. It seems now though that they might have been playing mind games because it turns out they did go ahead and make changes to the car. Maybe they were just looking to throw their rivals off...maybe it worked... we can’t wait to find out.

Last week on the Austrian track, we witnessed the heartbreaking race of George Russel whose brilliant performance in the Williams was cut short because of a reliability issue with the engine. He was looking excellent, quick and was on track to earn four points for the team which would have moved him from 17th to 15th in the Drivers’ Standings and his team Williams from 9th place in the Constructor’s Standings to 8th, beating Alfa Romeo. However, all hope is not lost as we are racing on the same track again this weekend and we can expect the Williams driver to do well and find redemption from a disappointing race-weekend.

When discussing the 2021 season, how can we not talk about Lando Norris? The 21 year old British driver has proved to be the Mr. Consistent of the 2021 season so far. He has ended every race in the top 5 this season with the exception of Spain. He has already bagged 2 podium places in the 8 races so far and if all that fails to impress you, he is currently on a 13-race points scoring streak which is the longest record for any Mclaren driver since Fernando Alonso in 2007(14 races) and the current longest for any driver on the grid for this year. He has even managed to beat his highly-rated and far more experienced teammate Daniel Ricciardo. Norris is currently 4th in the Drivers’ Standing, surpassing even Valtteri Bottas in the Mercedes.



Daniel Ricciardo is currently the most talked about driver among those that have made a switch this year. Sainz in Ferrari, Perez in Red Bull and Vettel in Aston Martin all seem to have gotten comfortable in their new cars and are doing well. In fact, each of them have scored podiums and Perez has even won a race. Things started to look good for the driver in France where teammate Lando and him scored a 5-6 finish but even with the great start he had last week, Daniel had to give back all the places that he made up in the first lap, because of the temporary engine failure. Ricciardo entered this triple header with the hope that three consecutive races would give him the mindset that he needs to catch up to speed. Nevertheless, don’t lose hope Danny Ric fans! He too, like Russel, can find redemption this coming weekend.

Also read: Max Verstappen extends lead in drivers title race against Lewis Hamilton with thrilling win at the French Grand Prix

There was a lot of talk about the Driver of the Day; Charles Leclerc. Some felt that after the lap-1 incident where he caused Gasly race to come to an end, and collaterally caused minor crashes for Latifi and Giovinazzi, Sainz was the more deserving candidate for the title. Even though Leclerc had a great recovery drive, one of his career-best, many argued that he should never have been in a position to recover in the first place.

Carlos Saiz meanwhile, who hadn't had a great qualifying, had a great clean drive and made up places from P-12 to be in the position to fight Norris for P-5. He had much better pace and a fresh set of tyres to take Norris on, but was stuck in an unfortunate position where he got lapped by Lewis Hamilton who was on old tyres and held Sainz back for 15 laps. By the time he was able to unlap himself, it was too late for him to catch upto P-5. Regardless, both Ferrari Drivers showed excellent pace on the Austrian track and will definitely do everything to score points to catch upto Mclaren this Sunday.

The on-coming weekend marks the end of the first triple-header this season. We will once again race in Austria at the Red Bull ring and are hoping for a suspenseful and thrilling race. There are so many battles to watch out for. Red Bull and Mercedes at each other’s tails. Mclaren and Ferrari are fighting for P-3 in the Constructors Championship with just a 12-point gap between them: the former in the lead at present. Keep an eye out for an Alpha Tauri and Aston Martin tussle with just 2 points separating them. There is even a healthy battle in the back with the two Haas drivers; young Schumacker and Mazepin, both the rookies fighting it out on track. We can’t say for sure what will go down on the track come Sunday but what we can say with confidence is that there will be a lot to watch out for and the motorsports world is revving to find out, so let’s get racing. Lights out and away we go!

In motorsports news, with Extreme E’s Arctic X Prix less than two months away, the electric off road racing series have completed their latest recce in Kangerlussuaq for it’s very first motorsport event.

In a press release, James Taylor, Chief Championship Officer at Extreme E said, “It has been a fantastic trip out to Greenland and the team continues to work closely with the Greenlandic Government, the people of Kangerlussuaq and our production partners to ensure we can put on a truly spectacular event.

“I’m really excited by this X Prix for a variety of reasons: bringing the very first motorsport event to Greenland, working with UNICEF to educate youngsters on climate change, the breathtaking landscape and the racing it will offer, plus of course the fact we will be at the heart of the climate crisis, where you can see with your own eyes the devastation being caused by global warming.

“I can’t wait to return in August and use our racing platform to educate on measures we can, and must, all take to help against the biggest challenge of our time – climate change.”

The electric off-road series are not just looking at the race course but the operational and logistical aspects as well. Championship driver Timo Scheider, who was entrusted with the task of developing the course alongside the sporting team had this to say, “I was really, really excited to go to Greenland as it’s one of the few places in the world I haven't seen so far, and after facing the glacier so close and more or less touching it, it was pretty special for me, and also racing right next to it was an outstanding feeling.

“The course will include elements which we have haven't seen so far in Extreme E, so that's why I'm excited to see again what the drivers will see and how they will like it. It’s different in terms of innovation and the surface we have, so we will face some areas with sand, gravel, stones and even drops, which will be exciting for everyone. I’m really looking forward to the race weekend.”

Also read: Extreme E announce Eleven Sports as latest broadcaster

Despite its picturesque settings, the race will be held in Greenland to highlight the climate crisis. Scientific research has led to an understanding that the Arctic is warming at three times the global average due to climate change resulting in a loss of sea ice.

Professor Peter Wadhams, Head of Extreme E’s Scientific Committee, said: “The loss of sea ice has serious implications for the climate of the planet. But even more serious in many ways is what we will be investigating in Greenland - the accelerating melt of ice from the Greenland ice sheet, which is leading to a much faster rise in global sea levels.

“The ice sheet is melting at a record rate in summer. When we were last in Kangerlussuaq in August two years ago we encountered a record loss of ice from the ice sheet in a single day – 12.5 billion tons of water melted and of course ended up in the ocean, causing faster sea level rise.

“This record may get beaten this year, given the extraordinary air temperatures which we have been experiencing. The melt, and the rise in sea level, are accelerated even more by the fact that the ice surface is dirty with sediment, dust and plankton. This is left behind when the ice crystals melt, to produce what is called "black ice", which absorbs radiation very effectively. We will be studying the origin and nature of black ice and its power to speed up ice melt.”

Hjörtur Smárason, CEO at Visit Greenland, said: “Extreme E is a perfect match for Greenland. The innovative mindset and focus on sustainability fits how Greenland aims to develop as a tourism destination. With its grand glaciers and the Ice Sheet, Greenland offers a­­­­­­­­­­ chance to explore climate change in action, giving guests an opportunity to unplug into nature and experience pure silence in an otherwise busy world.” 

The Arctic X Prix will be held on 28 - 29 August and will be broadcasted globally through ITV, Sky Sports, BT Sport, BBC, Fox Sports amongst many others.

London: In the latest Motorsports News, Extreme E, the Off-road electric race series on Wednesday announced its partnership with global media group Eleven Sports to take the championship’s X Prixs to motorsports lovers in multiple markets.

Eleven has gained the rights to the series's live race coverage along with its behind-the-scenes magazine programme, preview, and review shows for its new global streaming platform ElevenSports.com and for Eleven Sports Belgium. Eleven’s coverage will be available in languages like English, French, Flemish and German.

ElevenSports.com is all set to reach millions of fans annually and stream thousands of hours of sport. The partnership will deliver Extreme E to audiences in over 140 nations worldwide, on a non-exclusive basis.

Eleven Belgium is the major sports platform in Belgium and Luxembourg, with a rights portfolio that features the Belgian Pro League, LaLiga, Bundesliga, NBA, UFC, and more.

Eleven subscribers in Belgium and Luxembourg will be able to enjoy all the latest action from the Extreme E series via Eleven Belgium’s award winning OTT and linear channels.

Also read: Our hard work paid off in Saudi but we are fully focused on X Prix in Senegal - Johan Kristoffersson, Rosberg X Racing

The opening Extreme E X Prixs from Saudi Arabia and  Dakar, Senegal, have already mesmerized audiences around the globe. Eleven will now further strengthen the coverage of the Championship. The aim of the game - to showcase the benefits of electrification through motorsport, along with shining the spotlight on the adverse effects of climate change.

Ali Russell, Chief Marketing Officer at Extreme E said: “We are delighted to have extended Extreme E’s viewing reach globally with Eleven Sports. Our opening races have delighted audiences around the world with the thrilling new race format and high drama. We have proven that Extreme E’s sport for purpose is not only a must see for fans, but it also marks a new era of racing that highlights the benefits of electrification whilst at the same time shining the spotlight on the climate crisis with the storytelling around the championship.”

Guillaume Collard, ELEVEN Belgium & Luxembourg Managing Director and Group Chief Rights Acquisition Officer, added: “Extreme E is already proving itself to be a hugely exciting competition, with a vital climate change message at the heart of the race. We’re delighted to be bringing the competition to our audience in Belgium and Luxembourg as well as using our transformational digital platform elevensports.com to provide passionate motor sport fans in over 140 markets with the opportunity to enjoy all the action from the Extreme E championship.”

New Delhi, Jun 29 (Motorsport news) Indian motorsports' governing body FMSCI has nominated its own president Akbar Ebrahim for the Dronacharya Award besides sending Jehan Daruvala's name to the government for Arjuna Award after inexplicably ignoring him last year.

Racer turned coach Ebrahim's name was also recommended for Dronacharya last year but none of FMSCI's nominations for the national sports awards was short-listed by the government appointed selection panel.

However, Ebrahim was not heading the FMSCI back then and some within the FMSCI feel his name should not have been included in the nominations this time as he is holding office.

"It is ironical isn't it. Effectively the president only decides on the nominations and he has nominated himself. Two names were discussed initially but the Council decided to send only Ebrahim's name.

"Last year was fine but his name shoudn't have been gone this year as he is holding office. As far as Jehan's nomination is concerned, I am glad it has happened this year as his named should have been there last year itself," a FMSCI official told PTI.

Top rally driver Gaurav Gill is Indian motorsports' first and only recipient of a national sports award, having got the Arjuna in 2019. His co-driver Musa Sherif has been nominated for the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna but he is highly unlikely to be considered for the country's highest sporting honour.

Jehan's name on the other hand should have been sent last year. India's biggest racing star at the moment, he stands the best chance of getting the award.

"He is one deserving candidate and should be honoured by the government," the FMSCI official added.

The 22-year-old is into his second year in Formula 2 and has multiple podium finishes to his name. He won the sprint race in Bahrain last year and has scored two podiums, a second and third place, this season.

He is also a Red Bull junior driver.

In 2019, Jehan finished third in the Formula 3 Championship, which is another support series to Formula 1. News Source: PTI

London: In the latest motorsports news, Extreme E today confirmed that Jutta Kleinschmidt will compete for ABT CUPRA XE in the series. The first, and so far the only woman to win the iconic Dakar Rally, will join the cockpit with Mattias Ekström with immediate effect and for the last three race events of the season in the series. “I’m really looking forward to this new challenge, the preparation with the ABT team and of course to work with Mattias,” says the German.

Kleinschmidt, who won the Dakar Rally in 2001, takes over the e-CUPRA ABT XE1 from Claudia Hürtgen. “Top performance in off-road events like Extreme E requires intensive preparation, including testing and rally participation. This high time commitment is unfortunately not compatible at the moment with my professional work at BMW, which I live for with the same passion,” says Hürtgen.

“But, a change also offers new opportunities for each of us, so I’m happy for the team that the constellation from Senegal will remain until the end of the season. I’m very grateful for the experiences that I’ve had within the Extreme E family and wish ABT, CUPRA and Jutta only the very best for the next races.”

Extreme E is a familiar field for Jutta Kleinschmidt as she served as Championship Driver and Advisor. She attended the first two races and provided her support to the organisers with her in-depth knowledge from 17 Dakar outings.

Jutta stepped in at short notice for Hürtgen, in Senegal, who was absent due to illness, and impressed with a formidable performance. “At first, I followed the series from the organisers’ point of view, then I got a spontaneous drive and now, together with Mattias, I’m actually a permanent member of the family of drivers. I’m very happy for the chance to compete at the highest level again,” says Kleinschmidt.

While she will be making her maiden appearance for the team at PR appointments for partner CUPRA next week, the  focus will be totally on the race in Greenland, which will take place during the last weekend in August. “Accidents in Saudi Arabia, a spontaneous driver change in Senegal – it’s time for us to now have a smooth weekend,” says Mattias Ekström. “We will thoroughly review the season so far, prepare more intensively than ever and try to make a fresh start in Greenland.” After his debut in a buggy in 2021, the Swede will contest the 2022 Dakar Rally for Audi. “Jutta is the ‘Queen of Dakar’ and I’m still almost a rookie. Having her in the team is also something special for me. I’m looking forward to the collaboration and her cumulative experience, which will serve us well in Extreme E.”

The Arctic X Prix in Kangerlussuaq, Greenland will take place on August 28 and 29.

Electric off road racing series Extreme E,has today announced Enel X – the innovative business line of the multinational energy group Enel - as its Official Smart Charging Partner. It will offer charging technology, the JuicePump 40 Race Edition, to power Extreme E's all-electric SUV named ODYSSEY 21.

Having strong roots in the energy industry, Enel X has worked across sustainability, digitalisation and innovation. As the complex energy landscape in the world grows, the company is creating and executing custom energy strategies by empowering organizations and consumers to take practical measures to cut down carbon emissions.

It has a great commitment in the motorsport sector to develop and test advanced technologies, making motorsport even more sustainable, while also maintaining the same level of performance and safety.

Alejandro Agag, Founder and CEO of Extreme E said: “Extreme E and Enel X share a very common goal around the utilisation of electric vehicles in the world. We are demonstrating their capabilities through the excitement of motorsport and Enel X is working on innovative solutions to ensure we can charge these vehicles in the most sustainable way possible.

“I’m delighted we will be using their expertise at our X Prixs as Extreme E’s Official Smart Charging Partner, further demonstrating how the world of electrification is moving forward – a move we must all support if we are to reduce global carbon emissions and protect our planet.”

Francesco Venturini, CEO of Enel X, said: “Our role as Official Smart Charging Partner of Extreme E is further confirmation of our commitment to pushing the boundaries of technological innovation in electric mobility. By providing our charging infrastructure to such an extreme racing competition, we can demonstrate that electric mobility truly has no limits, representing one of the best ways to combine sustainability and innovation to drive the energy transition.

“In addition, the Enel Group is also very happy to contribute to the championship with the Enel Foundation, which has been one of Extreme E’s Founding Scientific Partners since July 2020.”

The next venue on Extreme E’s five-event schedule is the Arctic X Prix in Kangerlussuaq, Greenland, which will take place from 28-29 August, where nine teams will take on each other, competing for the prestigious top step of the podium. Additionally, the event will also highlight the adverse effects global warming is having on the Greenland ice sheet.

In the latest motorsport news, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen won a dramatic race against rival Lewis Hamilton at the Le Castellet to register his third win of the season out of seven races. Verstappen is now 13 points ahead of Lewis Hamilton in the race for the drivers title ahead of back to back races in Austria, the home turf of Red Bull.

Motorsport team Red Bull has displayed a series of impressive performances this season, having won for the third successive time, the other two being in Monaco and Baku. The Dutch driver endured a difficult start to the race, going off the track turning into turn 1, resulting in Hamilton taking the lead.

However, Verstappen regained his lead as Lewis Hamilton went into the pits on lap 20, which made Red Bull’s Sergio Perez as the new race leader. The Mexican went into his first pit stop on lap 25, resulting in Verstappen being back in the first position and Hamilton following the Dutchman, one second behind.

What changed the race was the second pit stop by Max Verstappen in lap 32, who resumed in the fourth position and 25 seconds behind Lewis Hamilton, but the second pit stop paid off and the Red Bull driver edged past Lewis Hamilton in the last lap of the race to win the French Grand Prix.

Extreme E has officially confirmed today that Motorsport TV Russia will broadcast the electric SUV motorsport X Prixs which will include magazine shows, race highlights, reviews and previews in English and Russian.

Motorsport TV Russia is a subsidiary of Motorsport Network, a platform for motorsport lovers that allows subscribers to access over 125 series, 1000 live events and 3000 hours of on demand content including Extreme E and Formula E.

As one of the countries most vulnerable due to climate change, Russia has seen an increased interest in electric mobility. The country has set a new record of electric car sales for the second year running, outpacing Scandinavian countries. Compared to 2019, the last year saw a 95% increase in electric car vehicle sales, partly due to custom import duties being removed from EV vehicles as well as increased awareness of environmental concerns.

In a press release, Ali Russell, Chief Marketing Officer at Extreme E, said: “Extreme E is delighted to be reaching Russian audiences through Motorsport TV. Russia is a hugely important region for our series and coupled with the fact that there is an increasing interest in the EV sector here, makes me even more pleased to be bringing viewers our unique and thrilling electric racing package.

“By shining a spotlight on the environmental crisis through our sport for purpose series, we hope to not only raise awareness amongst audiences, but also highlight changes that can be made to live a less carbon-intensive lifestyle and protect our planet.”

Ksenia Bortova, Editor-in-Chief at Motorsport TV Russia, said: "We are very happy to broadcast Extreme E on our TV channel and spread the word about this amazing new championship to the Russian-speaking audience. I am sure that such a project will attract the attention of Russian fans and ecology supporters. It is clear that the topic of ecology and green energy is amongst the most important all over the world now while Russia covers about one-eighth of the world’s land surface.”

Extreme E’s ‘race without a trace’ has brought together some of the biggest names in motorsport such as Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg and Jenson Button along with American motorsport legends such as Chip Ganassi and Michael Andretti. The series also features both male and female drivers in a bid to promote gender equality. The next race is the Arctic X Prix in Kangerlussuaq, Greenland from 28-29 August.

Living life in the fast lane is a thrill experienced by a very exclusive club of Indian racers. From Narain Karthikeyan, Karun Chandhok, Jehan Daruvawala and now Parth Ghorpade, motorsport may not be synonymous with the Indian subcontinent, but India is brimming with talent, waiting to showcase their skills if given the right platform and guidance.

In an exclusive interview with SPOGO, Indian motorsport driver Parth Ghorpade speaks about how he got involved with the sport, the various challenges that he faced, winning the F3 Car Test at the Ferrari Driver Academy, motorsport idols and memorable events, elevating Indian racing and future goals!

Q 1) You come from Kolhapur which isn't exactly a motorsporting city so how did your interest in this sport grow?

I always had a love for cars and used to watch Formula 1 races with my dad when I was a kid and there was actually a small rental track in Kolhapur. My dad also had a thing for cars and races which is why we started going to the track more and more often and it just clicked. That’s where it all started, because of a small go-to location in Kolhapur.

Q 2) What are the biggest challenges a racing driver has to overcome in order to pursue this sport professionally in India

Unlike Europe, the United States or other countries, India does not have many facilities for racing. The level of the sport is a lot higher in other countries and the facilities are a lot more sophisticated and professional as motorsport is one of their main sports. As those facilities don’t exist here, I had to go for testing to Europe and that was one of the main challenges that I faced. It’s an expensive process so funding was another challenge that I faced in my journey.

Q 3) Tell us about your experience winning the F3 car test at the Ferrari Driver Academy?

I got the drive because I won the Asian title at the Formula Pilota Championship. It’s a small track but Formula 1 cars are tested there and Maranello and Fiorano is the home of Ferrari so it’s a legendary circuit where every race car driver wants to test drive and be a part of that team. It was quite a good experience, the way they work and their facilities are amazing and it’s a dream come true to be at the homeground of one of the best Formula 1 teams in the world.



Q 4) Who were some of your motorsport idols while you were growing up? Which has been your most memorable race or victory so far?

There is an idol that I look up to but he’s not there with us anymore, his name is Ayrton Senna. Unfortunately, he passed away when I was a kid, but I used to see his videos because of my dad who also followed Formula 1. He’s one of the legends and he will always be my favourite. The most memorable moment for me would be the race in Sepang, Malaysia. It was the last race of the Asian Championship which started off with completely dry weather which then became a thunderstorm. Hardly any cars managed to finish that race because it was pouring and one of the drivers, Antonio Giovinazzi on the grid is now in Formula 1. That was one of the most memorable races I have ever had in my career so far.

Q 5) How much of a change has the Indian Grand Prix brought in the motor sporting ecosystem of India?

Right now, the Indian Grand Prix is not there but when they were it was a huge pickup for Indian motorsports and people came to know about it. Even though it had an impact, we need more tracks to come up and get some life back into motorsport in India.

Q 6) What are the areas you think India needs to address in order to elevate the level of India motorsports to that of Europe?

India needs more go-karting tracks, because that’s the best way to get more individuals to start racing. There needs to be more racing tracks as well, there is one in Chennai and another in Coimbatore but it would make it easier for Indian racers to do what they do in Europe right here in India instead of travelling all the way for testing. These would make a big difference to Indian motorsports.

Q 7) What are you next looking forward to and how do you plan to achieve your goals?

The last two years have just been deleted because of the pandemic but I’m looking forward to doing the Asian Le Mans and then the plan is to go to Europe for the European Le Mans. I also want to progress to the World Endurance Championship because it has more openings that helps you earn earlier compared to Formula 1 and single seaters. We just need to keep our heads high and do what we do best, work around this pandemic and keep moving on.

New Delhi, Jun 16 In a big honour for India's Karun Chandhok, the former Formula 1 driver was on Wednesday appointed to the Board of Directors of Motorsport UK, the governing body for four-wheel racing in the island nation.

Chandhok is one of the only two Indian drivers to have made it to Formula 1 with the other being Narain Karthikeyan.

The Chennai-born is also the first Indian to have raced in the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans. He is now a well-known commentator.

The 37-year-old is also a member of Motorsport UK’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee and sits on its Racial Diversity Sub-Committee.

As a member of the FIA Drivers’ Commission – the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) of which Motorsport UK is a founding member – he is an advocate for the rights and views of drivers across the world, and he has been a Driver Representative on the FIA Single Seater Commission.

"I feel very honoured to be invited onto the Board of Motorsport UK. I moved to England from India nearly twenty years ago because the belief at the time was that if you wanted to get to Formula 1, you had to come and race in the UK as it was the capital of world motorsport.

"To now have the opportunity to work with the rest of the Board and the Motorsport UK organisation in shaping the future landscape of motorsport in the UK is very exciting," said Chandhok, who has become the governing body's youngest ever board member.

Motorsport UK Chair David Richards added said: "Karun is a respected and accomplished member of the motorsport community, whose wide-ranging experience from a variety of vantage points will be a major asset to Motorsport UK as we continue to grow and sustain the sport.

"In particular his values as a champion for a more equitable future for our sport will be a force for good as we ensure motorsport in the UK celebrates diversity and enables the full involvement of disadvantaged groups." News source PTI

New Delhi: Global sports brand PUMA has today announced its extension of  partnership with former Indian Cricketer Yuvraj Singh. The star allrounder has been associated with the brand for over a decade. Moving from cricket to the fast lane, Yuvraj Singh will now be seen in a new avatar as the face of PUMA Motorsport in India, displaying his liking for fast cars and sports-inspired fashion. With this association the 2011 World Cup Champion has joined the brand’s global league of greats like Thierry Henry, Boris Becker and Usain Bolt.

One of the most stylish players on and off the field, Yuvraj has a range of mean machines  adorning his garage. A great fan of Formula 1 driver, Max Verstappen, Yuvraj fondly follows the Scuderia Ferrari Formula1 team.

Commenting on his association with PUMA, Yuvraj Singh said,“I share a long and fruitful relationship with PUMA, it’s like family. They have supported me through every point of my career—highs as well as lows. I am excited to continue working with the brand, blending my love for fast cars and style through PUMA’s motorsport–inspired collection.”

PUMA is globally associated with Scuderia Ferrari, Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team, Aston Martin Red Bull Racing, BMW M Motorsport and Porsche Motorsport. With India being one of the greatest markets for PUMA motorsport, the sportswear brand looks forward to capitalising on the increasing demand for street style products inspired by performance gear.

Abhishek Ganguly, Managing Director, PUMA India & Southeast Asia added, “PUMA and Yuvraj share a deep emotional bond that only grew stronger over the years. His relentless courage and indomitable attitude perfectly embodies the spirit of our brand. Whether it’s his sporting exuberance or his sense of style, he has always been a role model of innumerable Indians. We cannot be happier about our continued relationship with Yuvraj. His love for F1, fast cars and orientation towards sports-inspired fashion makes him a perfect fit to represent our motorsport collection in India.”

Electric off road racing series Extreme E has announced that McLaren Racing will be entering a team in 2022. They will join the five race global championship which will also help McLaren’s own sustainability and diversity agenda as well as grow the brand and franchise. 

Alejandro Agag, Founder and CEO of Extreme E, said: “Extreme E’s mission is to use sport to build awareness and accelerate clean technology innovations that benefit the mobility industry and beyond. To have McLaren on board, which symbolises the highest level of racing and automotive innovation, is a huge endorsement that what we have delivered in just our first two races of Season 1 has already created real impact in motorsport.

“We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Zak and the powerhouse McLaren Racing team to Extreme E, and it’s safe to say, we can’t wait to see how the team performs in its first off-road, electric racing debut. Season 2 just got very exciting!”

Zak Brown, CEO, McLaren Racing, commented: “From the moment Extreme E was announced we have been following the progress of the series closely. Our attention was immediately drawn by the innovative format of this motorsport platform, in particular the ability it gives us to accelerate and boost our own overarching sustainability agenda, which shares the same priorities of decarbonisation, waste reduction, diversity and equality.

“At the same time, it will enable us to reach a new audience with an innovative race format, connect with a new generation of fans through content served across a variety of channels and provide partners with a purpose-led competition platform to align with and share in a positive, powerful narrative.

“From the outset, McLaren has always been at the forefront and never afraid to push new boundaries. This new venture is true to our roots of participating in a variety of categories, innovation and bravery. Extreme E is paving new ground in motorsport as a force for good in confronting some of the biggest challenges facing our world today and in the future.

“While Formula 1 will always remain at the centre of our world, like INDYCAR and esports, our entry into Extreme E is additive to the McLaren Racing franchise and will complement and help support all our programmes. We will be competing against big names we’re very familiar with from F1 and INDYCAR but, like all series we compete in, the competition objective is clear: we are there to win.”

McLaren’s sustainability mission places carbon reduction, recycling, reuse and elimination of waste, diversity, equality and inclusion as objectives central to its core. They have supplied battery powertrains for the FIA Formula E Championship for the Gen 1 and 2 seasons and have utilized the same technology in the McLaren P1 hypercar. Their team will feature personnel from outside the Formula 1 programme along with four mechanics, one engineer and two drivers like all the other teams.
 

London: Extreme E's Founder and CEO Alejandro Agag, has been honoured with Autocar’s Motorsport Hero Award, a recognition given to an individual who has made a significant impact on motorsport and, in turn, the wider automotive industry.

The Awards themselves identify and celebrate the most extraordinary motoring accomplishments over the past 12 months and the individuals responsible for taking the industry forward.

Agag first entered the electric motorsport world in 2014 while he launched the ABB FIA Formula E Championship before going on to develop Extreme E, which had its inaugural race earlier this year. Both championships aim to demonstrate electric mobility and encourage cleaner technologies through the power of sport.

Alejandro Agag, Founder and CEO of Extreme E, said: “I’m delighted to receive this award from Autocar. It is a true recognition of the achievements we have made in driving the electric conversation through motorsport. I’m very proud of what both Formula E and Extreme E have achieved and I look forward to ensuring they go from strength-to-strength as we look to support the fight against climate change.”

Mark Tisshaw, Autocar Editor said: “With his leadership of both Formula E and the new Extreme E championships, Alejandro Agag has shaken up the motorsport world with provocative and challenging ideas. He has defied the many sceptics of an electric single-seater series to grow Formula E into a world championship that has attracted some of the industry's biggest manufacturers, and with Extreme E Agag is now showing that motorsport can address issues such as sustainability and climate change.”

Extreme E is now done with two of its five X Prixs in its inaugural season – the Desert X Prix in Saudi Arabia and Ocean X Prix in Senegal – and is now looking forward to the Arctic X Prix which will be held in Greenland at the end of August.
 

Extreme E has announced a collaboration with leading content distribution platform Socialie to enhance the electric off road racing series’ management, distribution and ROI of social media content. This includes race coverage, environmental objectives and behind the scenes stories of people and places with coverage from drivers, teams, partners, stakeholders and media.

Since 2016, Socialie has boasted clients such as ATP Tour, WTA, UFC, FIBA Media, European Tour amongst others. The company is known for maximizing the social ecosystems of brands and delivering fast, impactful content and utilizing advanced sharing mechanisms.

With this partnership, Extreme E will be able to deliver content from remote locations direct to their Socialie account which will them be redistributed, retaining full visibility of social analytics across drivers, teams and stakeholders social accounts.

Ali Russell, Chief Marketing Officer at Extreme E said: “Extreme E’s collaboration with Socialie means we can fully realise the potential of our outstanding visual content as well as amplify the environmental, electrification and equality messaging behind our unique sport for purpose series.

“The modern social media landscape presents enormous opportunities for Extreme E, not only as an emerging and innovative sport but one with a vital narrative to deliver, and we’re excited to take that further than ever before.”

Kristin Adams, Socialie CEO and Founder said: “We are excited to be working with Extreme E during its inaugural season. The championship is highlighting the impact of climate change through sport but also through the media.

“By using Socialie, Extreme E is empowering its drivers, teams and other influential stakeholders to easily share and amplify this very important message across social media to showcase the unique events and raise awareness for the need to protect the environment. We are proud that Socialie has been chosen as its platform to achieve this.”

Extreme E will now head over to Greenland (28-29 August) for it’s next race. The series aims to highlight the climate crisis by holding races in locations that are most vulnerable. As the series has a unique viewing format without spectators, fans can watch the races live via social media. Extreme E also transports equipment through its floating centerpiece, St. Helena to reduce the Championship’s carbon footprint.
 

Extreme E will host its second X Prix this weekend, the Ocean X Prix in Lac Rose, Senegal on 29th and 30th May. Course advisers and championship drivers Timo Scheider and Jutta Kleinschmidt have been developing the course ahead of the free practice sessions on 28th May.

Similar to the Desert X Prix, teams will once again face sandy terrain but the tracks will surround a lake renowned for its pink colour due to the algae in its saline waters. The Ocean X Prix will start on the beach alongside the Atlantic Ocean which will quickly move inland to the sharp, elevated dunes in a tight and twisty course. In the middle sector, the route will cross close to the main paddock and the sand will become softer with small dips and drops after which the race will return to the stunning beach.

Timo Scheider, Extreme E Championship Driver said: “After Saudi Arabia, which was a pretty quick course, the aim was to have a more technical layout with more overtaking possibilities and average to low speed areas, and this is what we have achieved.”
“We have some tricky areas, so for sure you have to manage your speed and we still have areas where you have to pay attention to, because if you're too quick on some stages, you can damage your car, spin or even roll.”
Jutta Kleinschmidt, fellow Extreme E Championship Driver said: “So we love it, it's very technical and completely different to what we faced in Saudi Arabia. It's also slower but gives more options for overtaking as there are many racing lines, which will make the Final very interesting. I expect to see closer racing and more overtakes.”

The Ocean X Prix will also feature the Super Sector in the middle sector of the race. This new element will give drivers the opportunity to earn five points for their team by being the fastest driver in that sector over the weekend. Unlike Saudi Arabia, the final will also feature four cars in an action packed race weekend.

London: The innovative off road racing series Extreme E is all set to stage it's second X Prix , the Ocean X Prix this weekend (29-30 May) in Lac Rose, Dakar on the West African Senegalese coast.

Rosberg X Racing (RXR) emerged victorious in the debut X Prix last month in the deserts of Saudi Arabia, but with the top three ranked sides within seven points of each other, the Ocean X Prix guarantees to offer exciting motorsporting action in a location brimming with its heritage.

Alejandro Agag, Founder and CEO or Extreme E said: “I am delighted to be back in Dakar, a place with a vast motorsport heritage, and I can’t wait to see our world-class line-up of drivers compete on this latest course we have devised. The Desert X Prix delivered some truly thrilling racing with a stunning backdrop and I’m sure Senegal will provide the same.

“But in Lac Rose we find an area suffering at the hands of the climate crisis, which is the true reason we are here. It doesn’t take long upon arrival to see one of the biggest issues, plastic pollution, which is affecting the local community and its marine life. Through our Legacy Programmes, we are supporting the local community to make change, and I can’t wait to see it for myself and help where I can.”
Nico Rosberg, RXR Founder said: “The team did an incredible job in Saudi Arabia to get the win and we’re very proud to be the first X Prix winners in Extreme E history, but we know we need to stay focused if we are to remain at the front. The series is already so competitive, but this team loves a challenge, and we can’t wait to go racing again in Senegal.”

Dakar, situated 37km from the capital, it's  shores of Lac Rose was the host for the finish of the world’s most famous cross-country rally – the Paris-Dakar - on several occasions between 1979 and 2007. It will now serve as host to the Extreme E's second race, the Ocean X Prix this weekend.
Once again, nine teams and 18 drivers will be seen competing, but in a slight amendment to the Saudi Arabia race format, the Final will be a four-car contest, with two sides from each of the two Semi-Finals advancing to the summit race of the weekend.
Saturday 29 May

Qualifying, just like the Desert X Prix, will consist of 2 rounds of time trials. The starting order of the team will be decided by a draw for Qualifying 1 and Qualifying 2. All races have two laps with the incorporated feature of driver ‘Switch’
Sunday 30 May
Three races are scheduled as follows:
The teams will be listed 1st to 9th place based on the total combined time of each team’s two Qualifying runs.
The top three teams go into the Semi-Final 1, where the top two finishers claim spots in the Ocean X Prix Final.
The middle three teams (4th, 5th, 6th) go through to Semi-Final 2, where again the top two progress to the Ocean X Prix Final.
The bottom three teams (7th, 8th and 9th) head to the Shoot Out.
Four cars will feature in The Ocean X Prix Final - The top two finishers from each Semi-Final.

Teams can also take advantage of a HyperDrive boost, which will be available to each driver on each lap of the race. They will enjoy an extra push of continuous power for a few seconds that will be activated after the driver presses a button on the steering wheel.
New in the Ocean X Prix is the ‘Super Sector’ – a section of the course where the fastest driver in that section over the weekend will bag five points for their side. This will ensure that whatever position the sides find themselves in there will always be an incentive to push to the limit to gain more points. 

The teams and driver line-up will take charge of the wheel of the ODYSSEY 21 – a 550 bhp all-electric SUV charged with zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell technology.

Teams- 
ABT CUPRA XE - #125 – Mattias Ekström / Claudia Hürtgen
ACCIONA | Sainz XE Team - #55 – Carlos Sainz / Laia Sanz
Andretti United - #23 – Timmy Hansen / Catie Munnings
Segi TV Chip Ganassi Racing - #99 – Kyle LeDuc / Sara Price
XITE ENERGY RACING powered by myenergi - #42 – Oliver Bennett / Christine GZ
JBXE - #22 – Kevin Hansen / Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky
Rosberg X Racing - #6 – Johan Kristoffersson / Molly Taylor
Veloce Racing - #5 – Stéphane Sarrazin / Jamie Chadwick
X44 - #44 – Sébastien Loeb / Cristina Gutiérrez

For each race, teams can decide as to which driver goes first, and decisions are kept secret until the last minute.

Shakedown and qualifications will be aired via Extreme E’s official website – www.extreme-e.com and social channels (@extremeelive on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Twitch).

The Finals will be aired in over 180 nations by 75 broadcasters including Fox Sports in the USA, ITV, Sky Sports, BBC and BT Sport in the UK,  Teledeporte in Spain, Proseiben MAXX in Germany, Mediaset in Italy as well as Eurosport across most European Markets and SuperSport in Africa.
 

 

Johan Kristoffersson is one of the most successful World Rallycross drivers in the world. The ‘Super Swede’ is a part of Rosberg X Racing in the electric off-road racing series Extreme E and recently won the Desert X Prix in Saudi Arabia. In his glittering career, Kristoffersson has won the Scandinavian Touring Car Championship, Porsche Carrera Cup Scandinavia, International Superstars Series and more!

In an exclusive interview with SPOGO, Kristoffersson speaks about his experience of winning the inaugural Extreme E race, Rosberg X Racing, driver swap and ODYSSEY 21, his strengths and weaknesses and whether he has a competitive advantage due to his rallycross background.

Q 1) You along with your teammate Molly Taylor set the fastest time in the first race of the series in Saudi Arabia, how proud are you of becoming the first ever winners of an Extreme E race?

Ans: “It was an amazing experience to take the win in the first-ever Extreme E event. The weekend was so crazy and we didn’t know what to expect, so to get the win and know that all our hard work had paid off ahead of the new season was a great feeling for the team. Now we’re fully focused on the next X Prix in Senegal.”



Q 2) How much of a credit goes to Rosberg X Racing for the result in the Desert X Prix? What are the factors that contributed to the win?

“We prepared as much as we could before the race weekend and worked as hard as possible to try and understand how the car might react in the desert, how all the procedures might work, and then on the race weekend we analysed every piece of video footage and data we possibly could. Hard work pays off!”

Also read: I want to inspire girls around the world to get involved with motorsport - Molly Taylor, Rosberg X Racing

Q 3) What are your thoughts about the ODYSSEY 21? How tricky is the driver swap? 

“The car is cool! We’re racing in 400 kW (550bhp) all-electric SUVs that will help shape the future of off-road electric mobility in some of the most extreme environments in the world. The driver swaps are a new challenge for most of the drivers in Extreme E; Molly and I had to practice a lot as we have very different heights [Molly is 168cm, Johan 192-194cm]!”

Q 4) How did you and Molly Taylor prepare for the inaugural race of Extreme E? How do the two of you complement each other's strengths and weaknesses?

“We both have a lot of experience of off-road racing, but we have raced in very different formats. My off-road background is mainly rallycross, while Molly is an experienced rally driver. Extreme E combines a lot of factors of both disciplines, so comparing notes and making sure we are learning from each other’s experiences is a big part of our development.”



Q 5) Do you think you have an advantage over others because of your rallycross background? How challenging has it been to adapt to an electric car?

“It may help when the race starts, but there’s also a number of other drivers in Extreme E who have a rallycross background, such as Mattias Ekstrom and Timmy Hansen. Driving an electric car is a strange sensation at first because of the lack of noise and the instant power delivery, but I am now used to it and learning something new every time I get behind the wheel.”

Australian driver Molly Taylor is in high spirits, having recently won the Saudi X Prix with teammate Johan Kristofferson in the inaugural race of Extreme E, an all electric motorsport series. Having grown up in a motorsport family, Taylor’s mother was a professional co-driver for 18 years and won three Australian titles. For an industry largely dominated by men, Extreme E is giving women an equal platform to showcase their talent and drivers such as Molly Taylor are a breath of fresh air in a tournament focused on bringing awareness to the climate crisis and sustainability.

In an exclusive interview with SPOGO, Molly Taylor speaks about whether she has a competitive advantage due to her rally experience, driving on the desert terrain of Saudi Arabia, gender equality in motorsport, the ODYSSEY 21 and more!

Q 1) You are the only female winner of the Australian Rally Championship, how much of an advantage is that experience in competing at Extreme E?

Ans: “I’m really proud to have won my national rally championship back home, but I think I get more of an advantage from my experience of competing in rally competitions for a number of years – not just my championship year in Australia. Extreme E is a highly-competitive field, so everyone at Rosberg X Racing is committed to calling on their experience to make sure we remain competitive as a team.”

Q 2) Do you have any pre-race rituals or superstitions that you follow? How challenging was it to drive on a terrain like the one in Saudi Arabia?

Ans: “I don’t have any superstitions, but do like to take a moment to visualise the course in front of me and focus on the challenge of racing the ODYSSEY 21. The terrain in Saudi Arabia was really difficult to navigate as new ruts were appearing with every lap we completed. I had a big moment in one of the time-trials on the Saturday but managed to keep control – that was a wake-up call!”



Q 3) How important is a series like Extreme E to develop female racing talent and to promote gender equality in motorsport?

"Equality is a huge part of sustainability, and this series, our team and one of my personal biggest passions is improving equality. Extreme E is the first racing series to feature male/female driver line ups at each team, and I hope to use my platform as an FIA Girls on Track ambassador as well as driver in Extreme E to inspire girls around the world to get involved with motorsport, which has given so much to me.”

Q 4) How does the ODYSSEY 21 compare to other rally cars you have raced with? What role have you played in tailoring the car to your specifications?

Ans: “The ODYSSEY 21 is unlike any other car I have driven. Firstly, it’s massive! It also has a serious amount of power [400kw] and delivers it instantly when you apply the throttle because of the electric motor. It’s very difficult to compare it to the Subaru I race in the Australian Rally Championship in every sense, but working with Johan and the team to better understand how we can get the most out of it has been a lot of fun and we can’t wait to continue at the next race in Senegal.”

Q 5) What excites you the most about Extreme E as compared to other rally races?

“It’s unlike any other racing series that has ever existed, and that for me is the most exciting part of Extreme E. We’re racing in 400 kW (550bhp) all-electric SUVs that will help shape the future of off-road electric mobility in some of the most extreme environments in the world, and all with the goal of raising awareness about the biggest threat to mankind today: climate change.”
 

Pioneering off-road racing series Extreme E has teamed up with WSC Sports, a global leader in artificial intelligence (AI) driven sports video technology before it’s second X Prix in Lac Rose, Senegal from 29th to 30th May.

WSC Sports’ cloud based live-clipping platform Clipro will allow Extreme E to create and publish near live and highlights after the race in seconds as well as get access to WSC Sports’ innovative Graphics Engine that will add stunning visuals to help in branding and monetization.

Extreme E will also be assisted in distributing race highlights to its media partners as well as social media handles of the drivers through WSC Sports’ partnership with Socialie.

Ali Russell, Chief Marketing Officer at Extreme E, said: “It is really important for us to share the action with our fans as soon as possible as they won’t be watching the races on site. This partnership with WSC Sports not only allows us to share content quickly, but with some really interesting graphics and overlays, which I’m sure will appeal to our global audience.”

Itai Epstein, Head of Business Development, Central Eastern Europe & China at WSC Sports, said: “Extreme E offers an exciting and ambitious new racing concept. WSC Sports is always happy to partner with innovative and forward thinking organisations, and so we’re honoured to take part in this great endeavour and contribute to its success by providing Extreme E with the tools to maximise fan engagement and spread the word across digital media around the world.”

Extreme E is an electric off-road racing series that aims to bring light to the climate crisis and in order to reduce their carbon footprint, the series can only be broadcasted through global broadcasters and the championships social media platforms.
 

Similar to the top three teams in the Extreme E table, the middle rankings featuring ACCIONA | Sainz XE Team (fourth), Hispano Suiza XITE Energy Team (fifth) and JBXE (sixth) are separated by only a few points with 26, 20 and 17 points respectively.

Although ACCIONA | Sainz XE Team were in the second position after qualifying propelled them to Semi-Final 1, they narrowly missed out on a spot in the Final finishing third in that session. Hispano Suiza XITE Energy Team and Jenson Button’s JBXE team were both in Crazy Race but missed a chance in the finals after being defeated by Andretti United who then eventually clinched the second spot in the last race of the day.

There is still a lot to play for as the Ocean X Prix in Senegal from 29-30 May will provide opportunity for points in both the Qualifying rounds and Final, making a team's way up in the points table a real possibility that all the sides will relish.

Albert Fàbrega, ACCIONA | Sainz XE’s Team Principal says: "It was positive to show our speed from the very beginning, even though we narrowly missed the Final. We are very excited now to go to Senegal. The Lac Rose in Dakar is a legendary place in the history of motorsport. Both Laia and Carlos are very experienced drivers in those conditions. We have been working to improve our performance and we are hoping we can fight for the podium again.”

Like many of the Extreme E drivers Laia Sanz, too has been contesting elsewhere before Senegal in the Andalusia Rally, again on four wheels which is very different to her two-wheel Dakar pedigree, however is a very important practice for the upcoming event at Lac Rose. She says: 



“It is important for me, because I am continuously learning when it comes to racing on four wheels, which is not my natural environment. The Andalusia Rally was very positive for me in my progression on four wheels and I am convinced that it will come in handy in Senegal, so yes, I am more confident going into the second event of the Extreme E season. First because I have the experience of having raced in AlUla and second because of the work that I am putting in testing and racing in competitions like the Andalusia Rally.”

Driver duo of Brit Oliver Bennett and Spaniard Christine GZ finished at the second spot in the Crazy Race. The two had a steady Saudi outing that put them in the centre of the overall rankings. Oliver says: “I’m really XITE’d to get to the Ocean X Prix in Senegal. It feels like a long time since we last drove the car so I’m anxious to get back behind the wheel and keep familiar with this new electric monster.” He continues: “The overall feeling for this event is positive, we learnt a lot in the first round and came away feeling confident and with a good strategy for the season ahead. It’s a new environment, most likely another extreme one, so we will be as prepared as we can to do battle!”

On the other hand, his teammate Christine GZ - has been participating in other races since the Desert X Prix and says: “I have been competing at an off-road event to keep developing my skills and will be testing alongside my teammate Oli in a range of vehicles before round two of Extreme E. My main goal in Senegal is to have a ton of fun! “

JBXE driver Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky, is looking forward to the chance of getting back in the action. She says: “I’m super excited for Senegal! Saudi was a challenge for us as we came in late to the series so we didn't have much time to prepare, but now we have the experience and knowledge from the Desert X Prix and we've been working closely with Lotus Engineering to see what we can do with the car.”

She continues: “Saudi was the first time I’d raced on the sand and it’s going to be sand again in Senegal, although a different course, so I’m really excited to see a new venue and see how the tyres perform as we had a good run with them in Saudi. All in all it is great to have the experience from the first event and I’m looking forward to seeing how the work we have done between then and Senegal will pay off.”

London: Extreme E, the innovative electric off-road racing series, has today announced that it has signed an agreement with TV3, the Spanish television network, for airing its entire 2021 season. Catalonia's public broadcasting network TV3, will televisie each of Extreme E’s X Prixs live and free to air in Catalan. TV3’s digital channel, TV3-Televisio will also stream the race coverage. 

TV3, which has its headquarters based just outside Barcelona is also the most-viewed station in the area enjoying an impressive 14.6% audience share. Besides, TV3-Televisió, its digital platform, in 2019 was named as Catalonia’s top web channel with regards to user numbers and video views.

The groundbreaking series, Extreme E has already impressed fans around the globe with its amazing series debut in the deserts of Saudi Arabia in April. Aired live to millions of homes, mobiles and tablets, audience were thrilled by the high drama and exciting contest as some of the biggest names of motorsports featuring Carlos Sainz, Sébastien Loeb, Jenson Button, Molly Taylor and Johan Kristoffersson took to the testing conditions of sandy dunes of AlUla in 550bhp ‘ODYSSEY 21’ electric SUVs in a bid for the inaugural Extreme E podium.

The Rosberg X Racing pairing of Kristoffersson and Taylor emerged victorious with a stunning display of skill, speed and tactics to secure their names in a piece of motorsporting history. They were closely followed by Andretti United’s Catie Munnings and Timmy Hansen and X44’s Sébastien Loeb and Cristina Gutiérrez.

Ali Russell, Chief Marketing Officer at Extreme E said: “Extreme E’s mission to ‘race without trace’ whilst simultaneously raising awareness of climate issues, means it is vital that our series reaches as many audiences on as many platforms as possible throughout the world. Working with TV3 will not only provide up to nine millions viewers in Catalonia with a thrilling and innovative motorsport championship, but also convey the message that we all need to play our part in looking after our planet.”  

Extreme E's next X Prix, the Ocean X Prix will be taking place at Lac Rose from 29-30 May.

London: Extreme E, the innovative electric off-road motorsport series has joined forces with Solgaard, the premium travel and lifestyle brand, to provide its 2021 team with sustainable luggage and travel gear created from upcycled ocean-bound plastic ahead of the Ocean X Prix scheduled to take place in Senegal on 29-30 May, 2021.

Canadian-Norwegian entrepreneur Adrian Solgaard founded the Solgaard in 2016 with an objective to utilise ocean-bound plastic in its range of premium, yet sustainable, tech, travel and lifestyle product portfolio. The pioneering company has been instrumental in preventing over 7 million plastic bottles from entering the ocean in the last 2 years.

Besides, for every one of its products sold, Solgaard guarantees that it prevents 229 plastic bottles from entering into the world’s waters.

Similarly, one of Extreme E’s key objectives is to underline the damage caused by plastic waste, not just in the oceans but also on land. The environment-conscious sport for purpose championship has undertaken beach ‘clean-ups’ in its distant race locations which includes Saudi Arabia and its next location in Senegal as part of the series'  Legacy Programme. The debris gathered from these locations is then recycled and given a new life as the championship trophies and other useful materials for the series.



Ali Russell, Chief Marketing Officer at Extreme E said: “We are delighted that Solgaard has chosen to supply Extreme E with its premium luggage. Not only does it make a fantastic product which will be hugely beneficial to our team as it travels around the globe, the company also shares many of our core values regarding sustainability.

“Plastic pollution is a major global environmental crisis and anything that we can do to halt its fugitive effects is vital. Teaming up with Solgaard marks yet another way that Extreme E is able to bring people, locations and companies together to inspire actionable change.”

Adrian Solgaard, Solgaard Founder and CEO said: “Solgaard is proud to support Extreme E on this exciting journey at the intersection of sustainability and adrenaline, electrifying the deserts to save our ocean and the planet. We are thrilled to share our goal of increasing global awareness and education about the ocean plastic crisis with the Extreme E team and supplying Solgaard’s sustainable luggage and travel gear; produced with the smallest possible footprint through a circular supply chain using upcycled ocean-bound plastic.”

The Extreme E season started with the opening race in Saudi Arabia on April 3 and will now go on to race in Senegal (May 29-30), Greenland (August 28-29), Brazil (October 23-24) and Patagonia (December 11-12).

London: The innovative off road racing series - Extreme E’s floating centrepiece, the St. Helena arrived in Senegal on Wednesday for the second X Prix, the Ocean X Prix to be held at Lac Rose, Dakar from 29 – 30 May.

Extreme E’s repurposed former Royal Mail Ship, the St. Helena reached the Dakar port, having sailed for over 4 weeks from Extreme E’s championship debut in Saudi Arabia. Her iconic voyage has taken her across the Mediterranean Sea, through the Suez Canal, via Valencia and then Gibraltar to finally reach the West coast of Africa.

Alejandro Agag, Founder and CEO of Extreme E said: “I’m pleased to see that the St. Helena has arrived safely and on schedule in Dakar - her second voyage as Extreme E’s floating centrepiece is complete.

“St. Helena’s safe arrival means we can now focus on preparing for the Ocean X Prix later this month, and the next phase of our Legacy Programme, which includes the planting of one million mangroves along the West African coastline. As well as bringing our fantastic electric racing series to a place with such a legendary motorsport history, Extreme E aims to shine the spotlight on the environmental challenges that Senegal is facing as well as helping local communities.”



While at port in Valencia, the St. Helena picked some important cargo which includes AFC Energy’s first upstream green hydrogen fuelling solution which will work with its existing hydrogen power system to charge the championship's fleet of ODYSSEY 21 vehicles during the Ocean X-Prix. Also, Zenobe, a sustainable power solutions company loaded a second-life battery onto the ship. It will be utilised to power the series' paddock operations, yet again decreasing overall emissions.

Besides, while in Valencia, CUPRA, the car manufacturer, also loaded one of its Formentor e-HYBRIDs, the exciting new model which has only been on the market since March and will be used to transport Extreme E's personnel to and from site at Lac Rose.

The cargo will be transported to Lac Rose in Dakar, Senegal for the Ocean X Prix which will be held from May 29-30.

London: UK’s premier independent owner and operator of battery storage and EV fleet specialists, Zenobe will be offering a second-life battery to supply power to Extreme E’s site operations which includes the team garages and critical broadcast infrastructure, facilitating the Championship achieve its net-zero target and underlining the power of a circular economy.

The battery’s first life had itself operating in Sweden, as it helped in bringing cleaner air to Stockholm as it powered an all-electric bus in the heart of the city. In its new life, the battery will make use of its remaining unexploited capacity to power site operations at the Extreme E and will travel around the world powering the Championship as it will race in locations that have been adversely affected by climate change.

The former bus battery, now beginning its new life is on board at the St Helena Extreme E’s floating centerpiece, which is also due to reach Dakar today, all set to be put to work by Extreme E in Lac Rose, Senegal. It will be operating in some of the world's most extreme environments, which includes the bitter cold of the Greenland Arctic, the heat of the West African coastline, and the close humidity of the Amazon rainforest.



Zenobe, as the Official Energy Storage Supplier for the maiden edition of Extreme E, with it's second-life battery will enable the championship to maximise the consumption of renewable energy generated onsite, to help the series sustainably reinvent motorsporting operations. The battery, in its first life on a bus, saved nearly a thousand tonnes of CO2. Now it will help Extreme E series save approximately fifteen tonnes of CO2 per year, in its second life.

Zenobe, with this path-breaking second-life battery, is backing Extreme E’s mission to encourage a more sustainable world. By extending the battery's life by many years, the project underlines the enormous capabilities of batteries, even after their first life. As businesses around the world look to decrease emissions and go green, this second-life battery project highlights the importance of a circular economy and is the first of Zenobe's many upcoming second-life projects 2021.

Steven Meersman, Co-Founder and Director at Zenobe, said: “We are proud to be partnering with Extreme E, an organisation that shares our passion for using electrification to enable a cleaner, greener future.

“Reusing is absolutely central to this. At Zenobe we are dedicated to advancing battery application with a particular focus on what happens to EV batteries at the end of their lives on vehicles. Our growing second-life battery operations solve this issue, as we reuse batteries from our electric fleets across Europe and close the loop.



“As the world continues to drive towards its net-zero goal, Zenobe is committed to leading the charge towards a circular economy, embracing second-life battery technology and championing its vast capabilities.”

Alejandro Agag, Founder and CEO of Extreme E said: “We are proud to be working with Zenobe to provide a second life for this former bus battery.”

“As a series we are committed to minimising our carbon impact at all levels, and becoming a platform for renewable energy solutions which have wider world use. This battery will now play a very important role in powering our paddock operations, ensuring that it is not just on the race track where we can showcase our low carbon solutions to everyday issues.”

The Extreme E season began with the debut race in Saudi Arabia on April 3 and will now travel to Senegal (May 29-30), Greenland (August 28-29), Brazil (October 23-24) and Patagonia (December 11-12).

Electric off-road racing series Extreme E has announced Sweden’s leading channel Sportkanalen as a part of it’s broadcast menu. Sportkanalen will broadcast live coverage of Extreme E’s X Prixs along with preview, review and magazine shows in English and Swedish. Coverage will also be broadcasted on C More’s OTT digital platform. 

As one of the top five leading countries in the uptake of electric vehicles, Sweden has an EV market share of 26 percent and a staggering 245% increase in sales in 2019. The country also boasts exceptional racing drivers such as Johan Kristoffersson who has already achieved honours along with Molly Taylor for Rosberg X Racing in Saudi last month. 

Ali Russell, Chief Marketing Officer, Extreme E said: “Sweden is a vital market for Extreme E and I am delighted to welcome Sportkanalen and C More to our broadcast menu.  The population’s increasing usage of electric vehicles is great to see, particularly as the benefits of electrification are one of the key pillars of our championship.

“In addition, we also have an impressive cohort of Swedish talent amongst our driver line up this year. We are thrilled to have the likes of Johan Kristoffersson, Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky , Timmy Hansen and Mattias Ekström on the grid and I’m confident that this, as well as the ever-important environmental stories behind our sport for purpose series, will make for a captivating show for C More and Sportkanalen’s audiences.”

Johan Cederqvist, Head of C More channels and rights said: “Extreme E will be a strong complement to our other sports rights on Sportkanalen and C More. People in Sweden have a great interest in motorsport and Extreme E has a natural place in our portfolio.”

The championship is currently on its way to Senegal for the Ocean X Prix at the end of the month. The series has chosen to travel by sea aboard St. Helena to reduce their carbon footprint and conduct research on the marine environment. 

As Extreme E, the innovative off road racing series heads to Senegal for the Ocean X Prix, Championship Driver, Jutta Kleinschmidt in a press release by Extreme E, spoke about her memories of Dakar and the why the champion driver is looking forward to going back to the place where it all began…

“From the age of six, I had only two obsessions; speed and adventure,” Jutta Kleinschmidt, the first and only Women champion of the infamous, challenging and as the very terrifying, Dakar Rally.

This sense of adventure, along with riding off-road motorbikes, while growing up, paved the way for Jutta to turn up, uninvited, in 1987 to the start line of the Paris to Dakar Rally, not as a participant, but as a follower. This intrepid young woman, for 3 weeks, tagged along behind the official race, riding her motorbike 10,000km through France, Algeria and then the formidable Sahara Desert to Senegal to the wonderful Lac Rose.



Every night, the champion driver would finally appear at the bivouac (camps), tired, relieved and with her tent still just about strapped to her motorbike.

Jutta explains, “By following the rally that year, my aim was to see how it was and I was just so pleased to reach each bivouac each night in one piece, this was one of the biggest adventures for me because I was completely on my own without any technical support.”

She continues, “In a way it was crazy what I did. This was a long time ago, so we didn’t have GPS or mobile phones or any of that…so, if you got lost, you are really lost and there’s no connection at all to civilization. But I made good friends with the competitors - the teams were all really nice - they supplied me in the Bivouac with spare fuel if they had it and even food and also promised to send someone to find me if I didn’t show up at night!”

Having made it to the finish and now with her appetite truly whetted, Jutta entered the rally, officially this time, in 1988.  Some years later, and with sponsorship gained through her time in motorbikes, she made the switch from two wheels to entering her first Dakar in a car in 1995 in a female team with co-driver Dagmar Lohmann. When asked what prompted that change, Jutta explains, “I felt like I had done what I wanted to do on bikes, and it came to a point where I wanted to do more and try in a car. I managed to convince my sponsors to continue with me in the change to cars.”

And it was at this point where Jutta felt she was beginning to really master this extraordinary sport that in reality less than 40% of entrants actually go on to even completing.  

“It is so hard to dig your car out of the sand!” She exclaims, “It’s incredibly hot and you’re wearing the fireproof overalls, when you were unlucky you would have to dig for an hour or more to get your car free. And that’s where a lot of people get exhausted and why a lot of them give up. And there’s also changing your own wheel during the race. Each one can weigh up to 55 kg. Everybody (yes men too) need to train hard in the gym for that!

“In the beginning when I first entered on a motorcycle, it was my goal to just get to the end of the race and not give up. And I was so happy with that to start with.”

In 2001, with brilliant skill, tenacity and a dash of racing great fortune, She clinched a historic Dakar Rally win – making her the first and only woman ever to have achieved this feat.

When asked about her memories of that momentous win in 2001, Jutta says, “It was truly amazing you know because I’d been dreaming of this since I was a young woman. It was like being on top of a mountain!”

“Having gone from participating all alone with no support, to gradually gaining confidence and getting a bit of sponsorship, to the change to racing in cars to getting a podium and then to actually winning – it was a long journey, but it was worth it!”

It can’t be sidelined that Jutta’s win was not just an extraordinary achievement by anyone’s standards, but it also marked a significant moment for women in this discipline.

Jutta: “Oh for sure it was super because I got a lot of response from both women and men after my win. It was like wow; the men can see we can drive, and the women can also see what’s really possible for them too.”



She continues, “My win was also great as it shone a big light on cross country motorsport for women and gave so much interest in this kind of racing. I love to see women participating in this and to have shown them what they can achieve.”

So, what’s her view on Extreme E’s mandatory ruling that every team has to field a male and female driver in its championship?

Jutta said, ”Oh for sure I can see it’s very positive. It’s good to see these women taking part and also some coming from different areas of motorsport. Men and women racing together in a team and against each other is how motorsport should be, to show the equality between them. It’s also good for cross country racing and hopefully the ones that have not been in the Dakar before might try it as well, now they have raced in Extreme E and see what they can do! I can’t see any disadvantages at all, it’s great for everyone.”

As Extreme E makes its way to Senegal for the Ocean X Prix in a few weeks’ time, how does she feel regarding heading back to the place where it all started for her all those years ago? 

She says, “I am really excited to be going back to Senegal.  To be honest I have not had a chance to go back since 2007, when the last Dakar was held in this region and actually my last Dakar too, so it’s going to be great to be back there and see how it’s changed. It will feel in a way like coming home as it was a big moment for me winning there and changed many things for me. I still remember so clearly when I passed the finish line in 2001 especially - I am sure a lot of positive emotions will come up again.”

“As far as how it will compare with the Desert X Prix in AlUla, I think Lac Rose will be more technical for the drivers but much less dusty than Saudi Arabia.”

“The Senegalese people, much like the Saudis, are very passionate about motorsport which makes it another great place for Extreme E to be racing. In a sense the people in Senegal still feel a sense that they still ‘own’ the Dakar as it will always be called the Dakar even though it’s not held in their country now – it’s kind of still theirs and they have so much passion for this type of cross-country motor racing because of it.”

Jutta continues, “I think everybody will love the Extreme E cars there too. To see these fantastic electric SUVs performing in such a way, so fast and so exciting to watch - the speed, the jumping, it will be amazing. I can’t wait to get there and work with Timo (Scheider) and the teams and the drivers to make it another fantastic event!”

Extreme E’s Ocean X Prix is scheduled to take place at Lac Rose, Dakar from 29-30 May.

Extreme E has an ambition to reinvent motorsport with it’s outlandish electric SUV off road racing series. It’s a concept like no other motorsport championship and this seemingly impossible dream has been made into a reality by Alejandro Agag, the founder of Formula E. The five locations are based on different environments - ocean, desert, arctic, rainforest and glacier with the objective of using motorsport as an instrument to highlight the damage to some of the most vulnerable ecosystems on our planet. 

In an exclusive interview with SPOGO, series founder Alejandro Agag talks about how it all began, the social aspirations of Extreme E, the challenges faced in making it a reality and the goal to raise awareness to help save our planet. 



As founder and CEO of Extreme E, how did the idea formulate and what was the process that led to the idea becoming a reality?

Following the success of Formula E, I wanted to take our electric mission one step further and highlight the climate emergency – one of the biggest challenges the world is facing - through an exciting new motorsport.

Extreme E takes electric SUVs to some of the most remote corners of the planet to show damage to the environment and inspire change, by showcasing less carbon intensive ways of living. Through the Legacy Programmes at each race location, we will leave a long-lasting positive impact on the areas we visit and it has taken a lot of hard work securing locations, teams, drivers, partners and scientists.

The goal of Extreme E from a social standpoint is to highlight the effects of climate change and endangered habitats using motorsports. How do you plan to do that?

We hope to highlight the effects of climate change through the power of sport, after all 24 out of 25 of the most watched TV broadcasts ever have been about sport. As we won’t have spectators on-site our broadcast product is one of the main ways we speak to our audience, so we are creating a very innovative product in terms of the racing including graphics and overlays, but also a magazine show which tells the stories of the locations and the issues faced, plus the people involved.

How different is Extreme E compared to other motorsport events?

In some ways very similar, we will have exciting racing, but in other ways very different, as we are using motorsport to highlight the climate emergency. 

We have a couple of world-firsts in the motorsport world including the stipulation teams must field both a male and female driver in a bid for gender equality. We will also be using a hydrogen fuel cell to charge our electric SUVs emissions free, so in that sense we are very forward thinking.

From a sustainability point of view we aim to be net carbon zero by the end of our first race and we are doing everything we can to make that happen, from keeping the championship’s carbon footprint as low as possible in its operations, for example, using a ship, the St. Helena, instead of air freight, right through to trophy creation – these will be made from recycled plastic.



What are the challenges you have faced in making Extreme E a reality?

There have been a few challenges like any start-up, but I would say we are in pretty good shape, we have incredible teams, drivers and a host of global broadcasters so despite the challenges things have really moved forward.

How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected your plans?

It has made everything harder due to the travel restrictions, we haven’t been able to complete as many site visits as we would have liked, but all in all, COVID really hasn’t stopped us. In 2020, we were in the preparation phase in terms of signing teams and partners and we were lucky that we could really carry on during COVID.

How do you plan to generate interest in Extreme E and gain acceptance from the motorsport fans especially considering that no fans will be allowed to be at race venues?

Already we feel like there is a massive amount of excitement from motorsport fans about Extreme E, you just have to look at our social media. Not having spectators on-site was always our plan, so it is through our engaging broadcast product that we will reach fans.

Tell us more about the virtual hospitality packages available for each race? 

Virtual hospitality is incredibly interesting, it’s a great concept that the team came up with and I think to bring great hospitality to people’s homes you need to offer premium access and the opportunity to be able to see behind the scenes as well as tailored content specifically for them so they feel they are one step closer to the event than everyone else watching on TV. You can send merchandise to the homes and even a chef to prepare special food, and one of the brands associated with us could take them for a spin in an electric car around their homes or in their city. There are many things you can think of with virtual hospitality, and we are very excited about it.

What impact do you hope to create from the inaugural season of Extreme E? 

I hope we will raise awareness of the climate crisis, but go beyond that and encourage people to take action, big or small, to reduce their carbon footprint to help save our planet.

In our specific race locations, we will leave a long-lasting positive impact through our Legacy Programmes which include planting one million mangroves in Senegal, empowering young climate changemakers in partnership with UNICEF in Greenland and reforesting 100 hectares of the Amazon rainforest.

London: The brand new electric off-road racing series, Extreme E is creating a magazine show – Electric Odyssey –  to tell the stories of the Championship surrounding racing, its equality stance and its missions around the environment and climate change.

Two of the twenty episodes are now available to watch  - with the third episode being released today - on TV screens through a wide board of global broadcasters in 180 nations which includes ITV in the UK, FOX in the US, Canada and Asia, TV2 in Hungary, Cosmote in Greece, ORF in Austria, SuperSport in Africa and TVNZ in New Zealand.

The 26-minute episodes target the climatically aware viewers with a passion for adventure, and with terrific behind-the-scenes access regarding the building and progression of this innovative motorsport, the shows take the viewers on a journey through all of the Championships racing action along with sporting insight and its stories of climate change, sustainability, science and exploration to keep the dialogue alive between each X Prix.



Ali Russell, Chief Marketing Officer at Extreme E, said: “Electric Odyssey is a great series creating additional depth to the storytelling of the championship and extending the conversation outside of our five events in 2021. The plethora of behind-the-scenes sports shows focusing on football, basketball and Formula One for example show the appetite for this kind of content. But more than that, launches of channels like WaterBear – home to Extreme E content – demonstrates the importance of telling the wider stories of the series outside motorsport.

“I’m delighted that so many of our global broadcast partners are airing this unique content that gives a true insight to the people and personalities behind our unique sport for purpose.”

The episodes are being crafted by Extreme E Studios – a joint venture between Aurora Media and North One and air from now till January 2022. The shows will also feature stories of every racing location, Extreme E’s floating centrepiece the St. Helena along with the environmental crisis and the climate issues each race aims to bring into limelight.

Chris Carpenter, Senior Producer at Aurora Media said: “Extreme E isn’t like many other sporting properties, there’s so much more narrative than just the racing. The Electric Odyssey series gives us a fantastic opportunity to delve deeper into the many other aspects of this championship.

“It’s not just a sports magazine show - it’s a hybrid of content. Along with the incredible racing we’ll be including features about climate science, adventure travel, sustainable technologies and cultural & historical insights. All with the incredible natural back-drop of each event location. 

“It’s going to be quite the adventure to make the series but a challenge we are relishing.”

The second and third episodes focus on Extreme E’s debut X Prix in Saudi Arabia, which highlight desertification and the series' Legacy Programme to support turtle conservation in The Red Sea.



Lac Rose is Extreme E's next stop in Dakar, Senegal for the Ocean X Prix. The Electric Odyssey shows regarding this race will underline climate challenges in the area, the ocean crisis as well as the Legacy Programmes that include planting one million mangroves along with supporting local community project EcoZone, and of course all the motorsporting action featuring some of the greatest names in motorsport.

Electric off road racing series Extreme E has confirmed a broadcast contract with SuperSport, expanding its reach to over 50 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa including Nigeria, Uganda and South Africa. Based in Johannesburg, SuperSport International broadcasts some of the biggest sporting events such as the Premier League, PGA Tour, Moto GP, Formula 1 etc. The broadcast of Extreme E will be aired in English and French on SuperSport Motorsport, Blitz, Grandstand and can also be streamed on www.SuperSport.com and the SuperSport app. 

In a press release by Extreme E, Ali Russell, Chief Marketing Officer at Extreme E said: “We are thrilled to have reached this agreement with SuperSport. The emerging African market is hugely significant for us. SuperSport’s reach in Sub-Saharan Africa is unparalleled, making it an excellent addition to our broadcasting roster.

“Extreme E is so much more than just a race series – it’s an opportunity to tell a story. Audiences in the Sub-Saharan region have had the issue of climate change brought into sharp focus in recent years, and with Extreme E we hope to raise awareness further than ever before in a region where so much is at stake.

“The impacts of climate change can be devastating, and nowhere is that clearer than in this region, where increasing temperatures and declining rainfall is threatening already strained food security, whilst intensified flooding is damaging fragile shelters and increasing the spread of deadly diseases like malaria and dengue fever.”
Marc Jury, SuperSport Chief Executive said: “This is a wonderful addition to SuperSport's content slate, not least because we are in the business of storytelling and the narrative of Extreme E is so compelling. We are delighted that the calendar takes place in Africa, too, where the market is vibrant and has an appetite for motorsport."

After Extreme E’s inaugural race in Saudi Arabia, the teams are on board St. Helena yet again to travel to four of the planet's most remote locations to highlight the climate crisis impacted on these ecosystems. Extreme E is the world’s first gender-equal motorsport series consisting of a male and female driver in each team. Their next race will be held in Lac Rose, Senegal on 29th - 30th May followed by Kangerlussuaq, Greenland (28-29 August), Pará, Brazil (23-24 October) and Tierra del Fuego, Argentina (11-12 December).

According to a press release by Extreme E, the innovative racing series is exactly a month away from its second event – the Ocean X Prix – which will be held at Lac Rose in Dakar, Senegal on 29-30 May.

The championship marks the return of off-road racing to one of its original roots, renowned for the gruelling Paris-Dakar Rally which made its debut in 1978 but, since 2007, hasn’t finished in the Senegalese capital.

Alejandro Agag, CEO and Founder of Extreme E, said: “So here we are, just one month until our second event, the Ocean X Prix. We are all very excited to be headed to Senegal, in particular Dakar and specifically Lac Rose, which once marked the finish line to one of the most iconic rallies in the world. We are pleased to be bringing motorsport back to this region and am sure we will put on an incredible show.

“But more than that, Extreme E is using its platform to highlight the climate realities of the area, from rising sea levels to plastic pollution. Not only will we use our sport to shine a light on all these issues and the solutions we can all be part of, but we will also be making a positive and lasting difference through our various Legacy Programmes in the country including planting one million mangroves and supporting local communities.”

Abdou Thiam, President of the Senegalese Motorsport Federation, said: “When Alejandro presented his project to me, it was with great enthusiasm that I welcomed the idea of an international competition on the banks of the Pink Lake.

“Thanks to a long tradition of motorsport in Senegal, this site has hosted our various national championships and the arrival of many international competitions. The most famous of these even bears the name of our capital.

“The innovative approach of Extreme E as well as its environmental dimension projects us towards the future of off-road motor racing. Finally, we are delighted and honoured to welcome the great names of the motorsport family. As such, we welcome all the actors of what I hope will be the first edition of a long series in Senegal.”



Extreme E picked Lac Rose in Senegal to underline a wide range of issues such as increasing sea levels owing to global warming which heats up the oceans and expands in turn. Sea level has been increasing by nearly 30 centimetres every decade. Another major issue affecting the African nation is Plastic Pollution. The hills of single-use plastic seen on the shores are growing each day and are threatening not just marine species but also human health.

The vibrant pink lake has seen a dramatic fall in the water levels in the past 40 years because of over-exploitation of salt mining and water pumping.

During the last year, the championship has backed two projects that will continue beyond the racing weekend, in conjunction with to.org, its legacy partner. The first of these legacy projects with to.org, along with the local implementation partner Oceanium, is plantation of 1 million mangrove trees. The wonderful Mangroves pull carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and the sediment under their roots thus stores a large amount of this carbon. They are also very important for coastal communities as they protect them from damaging effects of storms and of sea level, and also as nurseries for fish that provide food. Unfortunately, over a third of mangroves are lost, that has in turn left them vulnerable to food shortages and from storm destruction.



Extreme E, as part of its Legacy Programme commitment, has already helped with the planting of half a million mangroves over an area of 65 hectares. The reforestation consisted of nine outings and around 700 people supporting planting and growing trees, along with removal of plastic waste to ensure a healthy mangrove ecosystem.

Nachson Mimran, CEO and co-founder of to.org said: “The to.org team is honoured to bring our love for Senegal and our passion for sustainability to our legacy partnership with Extreme E. The reforestation of mangroves – one of nature’s most effective carbon capture solutions – will protect against coastal erosion, provide habitats for fish nurseries and marine organisms, and will improve water quality for local communities by filtering polluted water. We are excited to continue our mangrove reforestation programme and to advance to.org’s mission to address Earth’s most pressing social and environmental challenges.”

The Championship's floating centrepiece, the St. Helena, is currently en route to Senegal with the championship’s cargo. Rosberg X Racing is currently at the top of the leaderboard, but with four more X Prixs to go, it is still all to play for.

To bring down local impact, the Championship races will not be open to fans, they instead will be invited to follow the action through live TV broadcast, which includes RTS, ESPN, Fox Africa, StarTimes in Senegal, and on social media.

According to a press release by Extreme E, the innovative racing series in many ways right from electric SUVs to zero emission car charging has been environment conscious but the most unique and challenging part has been the remote locations in which it competes.

The championship recently completed its inaugural X Prix in AlUla, Saudi Arabian desert. Unlike other sporting events, where basic facilities like catering, paddocks, even toilets are all readily available, in case of Extreme E, these facilities are ones that the Championship had to bring in.



To construct the very important paddock – a place where teams can work with their all-electric ODYSSEY 21s – Extreme E enlisted the backing of Airshelta, a world leader in designing, manufacturing and supplying specialised inflatable shelters. It provided the championship with a full, modular working village, that consists of team garages, storage units, canteen structures, the media centre, medical structures and the innovative Command Centre that has blackout screening  and serves as the hub of activity during the competition.

Making use of an inflatable shelter has many benefits like reduction in weight, complicated pole systems along with easy and speedy assembly proving to be a unique and sustainable product.

James Taylor, Chief Championship Officer at Extreme E, said: “Creating a motorsport event in the middle of the desert required a very specialist set of suppliers and I’m delighted with how our paddock looked using Airshelta’s innovative structures, which were not only quick to erect, but a sustainable alternative to permanent structures allowing Extreme E to race without a trace.”    

Richard Smith, Director of Airshelta Products said: “I am both delighted and proud that Extreme E has selected Airshelta as the official provider of all the onsite, race team and support function facilities, through our inflatable structures. All our products are manufactured in the UK to the highest standards and we are thrilled to be sharing this exciting journey with Extreme E and supporting them through the race series.”

Airshelta, for more than 25 years, has been providing structures to a wide range of emergency response bodies, armed forces, motorsport teams and to other events worldwide.



Extreme E utilised Airshelta's sealed beam structure created from a continuous tube of PVC material, that are inflated either from a 110v or a 240v inflation blower within minutes. The inflation valve closes automatically thus enabling the Sealed Beam Airshelta to stay inflated without needing to constantly refill air. Once it provides the shelters with the robustness needed to withstand the environment conditions which will be faced throughout the race series. Like other temporary constructions the Airshelta’s are safely anchored utilising heavy duty metal stakes or water filled bunds specially crafted keeping Extreme E locations in mind.      

The Airsheltas and the championship’s other cargo, have been loaded onto its floating centrepiece , the Wonderful St. Helena and will sail to Senegal for the Ocean X Prix which is scheduled to take place on 29-30 May.
 

According to a press release by Extreme E, beIN MEDIA GROUP, the global sports and entertainment group, has acquired the non-exclusive broadcast rights to the debut season of environment-conscious racing series Extreme E in 24 countries in the Middle East & North Africa (MENA).

beIN SPORTS will broadcast live races having the 100 per cent electric motorsport cars, highlight shows along with the series' 20-part magazine programme, Electric Odyssey.

The Extreme E season kick started with the inaugural race in Saudi Arabia on April 3. The Championship will next tour Senegal (May 29-30), Greenland (August 28-29), Brazil (October 23-24) and Patagonia (December 11-12).

By scheduling races in regions that are facing the effects of the climate crisis, like deserts, tropical rainforests and the Arctic, the objective of the championship is to increase viewers’ awareness of climate issues and encourage them to take measures to protect the planet.

With some of the biggest names in motorsport which includes Jenson Button, Sebastien Loeb and Jamie Chadwick - the series guarantees to be an exciting adventure for motorsport lovers in the MENA region.

Duncan Walkinshaw, Director of Programs at beIN MENA said: “We are delighted to broadcast Extreme E to our millions of subscribers all across the Middle East and North Africa. Extreme E is not only committed to raising awareness of climate change, but it is also focused on promoting gender equality and creating a level playing field for all, with 50 percent of its drivers being women. By broadcasting the series, we look forward to shining a spotlight on the inspiring women in motorsport, aligning with the ambition behind our beINSPIRED project.”

Ali Russell, Chief Marketing Officer at Extreme E added: “This is another great broadcaster relationship for Extreme E and I’m delighted beIN Group will be showing our unique sport for purpose.

“Our inaugural X Prix in AlUla, Saudi Arabia was a great success and we can’t wait to continue the race for both our planet and to crown the very first Extreme E champions as we look ahead to our second X Prix – the Ocean X Prix – in Lac Rose, Senegal at the end of May. It is going to a great spectacle for fans across the world.”

beIN entertains and operates in 43 nations in the world, including 24 nations across the MENA.

With 4K and Full HD broadcast on satellite, the beIN experience is also available on computer, mobile, tablet, and other devices via beIN CONNECT.
 

New Delhi, Apr 16 Indian racer Jehan Daruvala's performance in the Formula 2 season opener is a "definite step forward" but he needs to deliver consistently to have a shot at graduating to Formula 1, his mentor and chief of Red Bull's much acclaimed driver development program, Dr Helmut Marko, told PTI. After a mixed debut season last year, India's F1 hopeful Jehan finds himself third in the Formula 2 standings after the first round in Bahrain where he finished second and fourth in the two sprint races before coming sixth in the feature race. The current season is being seen as a make or break one for the 22-year-old from Mumbai, who is aiming to become only the third Indian to reach Formula 1 after Narain Karthikeyan and Karun Chandhok. Marko, who played a pivotal role in the career of four-time champion Sebastian Vettel and has produced umpteen Formula 1 drivers, said the aim for Jehan has to be to win the title and Red Bull will take it from there though there is no automatic entry to their junior team Alpha Tauri. "The first round was a definite step forward than last year but he still has to improve. The aim has to be to win the championship. He still has to improve in some areas but at the moment after one race, it is okay," Marko, a former Formula 1 driver, told PTI ahead of the Imola Grand Prix this weekend. "The aim has to be to win the title but he doesn't automatically get a Formula 1 seat by doing that. It is just one race. It is far too early to say at this stage. Everything is related to performance. Marko said that it will be "unfair" to talk about his Formula One chances. "Performance is the key to to development as a Red Bull driver. It is unfair to be talking about a Formula 1 seat at this stage. There are other young drivers also and two Red Bull drivers also (Juri Vips and Liam Lawson in Formula 2). We will see who are the ones succeeding," said the 77-year-old from Austria.Jehan was signed by Red Bull last year and despite a mixed run in 2020, he did enough to secure an extension for 2021. In 2019, Jehan grabbed eyeballs with a third place finish in the Formula 3 and was a title contender for the the major part of the season. Asked why he chose Jehan among a plethora of young drivers for the Red Bull junior program, Marko said: "He finished third in F3 but for the majority of the season he was a championship contender. But we saw potential and looked at the personality of the driver. Out of the group he interested us. "We would not have picked him if we did not think that he didn't have the potential to reach Formula 1 "But potential doesn't mean he will make it. I don't want to be over enthusiastic. Just give him time if he produces top class performances we will see. Lets see what reality brings." Jehan's teammate last year, Honda-backed Yuki Tsunoda, earned a seat at Alpha Tauri for 2021 after an exceptional run in Formula 2 which culminated in third place in the championship. In the season opening Bahrain Grand Prix last month, The Japanese bagged a couple of points to begin on a promising note."It is the same story (with Yuki), he did well in one race. Let's talk in autumn, let's talk in September. We are realistic. There has to be performance over a period of time." For the first time in the hybrid era, Red Bull are looking their strongest to compete with the dominant Mercedes outfit. Their number two driver last year, Alex Albon, was not able to deliver consistently and therefore was replaced by the experienced Sergio Perez for this season. Rather than taking the usual route of promoting an Alpha Tauri driver, Red Bull chose the "outsider" in Mexican to mount a stronger challenge for Mercedes. Marko explained why they picked Perez over Pierre Gasly who also had a memorable 2020. "We are the only that junior team which produced a world champion, which produced Grand Prix winners and I don't know how many people we brought to Formula 1 but fighting for the World Championship you need an experienced driver. "You cannot put someone like Yuki in a Red Bull car straightaway, he is not experienced enough for the job. You needed an experienced driver and we only had another experienced driver in Gasly who was needed as the team leader at Alpha Tauri." Marko has the eye for spotting future champions and he put the success of the Red Bull junior program to treating every driver differently. "First of all a driver must get success in junior categories and then there must be a will to succeed and must be some personality but everybody is different. "We don't model drivers on a scheme. We try to see individuals. "The programs at Renault or Mercedes are not as successful. The drivers are human beings and they all are different and that is what we like," he added. News source: PTI

According to a press release by  Extreme E, the electric off-road racing series that completed its debut X Prix in the Saudi Arabia, prior to the event, had signed an agreement with Tik Tok to strengthen its social media offering.

Across the racing weekend, the Championship attracted 18.5 million organic views across TikTok content produced by partner Little Dot Studios, with a whopping 17.2 million people viewing #DesertXPrix videos alone. Extreme E also garnered 60,000 new fans, after Little Dot Studios activated the new partnership using its vertical video expertise, on behalf of the series.

Ali Russell, Chief Marketing Officer at Extreme E, said: “These numbers are phenomenal and I’m thrilled that in our first weekend we were able to reach so many people with our unique sport for purpose.

“A massive thank you to TikTok, Little Dot Studios and our in-house social team, these numbers are awesome and a testament to the engaging and innovative motorsport series we have created.”

The ambitious partnership saw Extreme E and Little Dot Studios craft an exclusive 90-minute production, which aired on Extreme E’s TikTok account on 3rd April. 386,000+ people saw the show, which featured a behind the scenes look at the Championship and the personalities at the heart of it.

'The Drop' was one of the most popular videos. 'The Drop'– a part of the course measuring 100 metres with a 45 degree descent, left the viewers with their hearts in their mouths. The on board video that showcased the view from the cockpit attracted 3.8 million fans as they witnessed exactly what the driver saw as they took on this challenging part of the course.

The association with TikTok covers each five of Extreme E’s X Prixs in 2021 and there is more to come when the Championship visits Senegal for its second race from 29 – 30 May.
 

According to a press release by Extreme E, the all-new electric SUV race series which made its debut in Saudi Arabia on 3-4 April, has today confirmed that Taiwanese broadcaster ELTA will broadcast each of the series X Prixs live in both Chinese and English through its Sports channel. This applies that viewers in Taiwan can also watch the Championship's behind-the-scenes magazine show and the documentaries on its subscription VOD platform.

ELTA TV, with its head offices in Taipei, was launched in the year 2008 to give Taiwan a high-quality relay of various top notch sporting events which also includes FIFA World Cup and UEFA Champions League. Besides, the station is also officially confirmed as Taiwan’s broadcaster for the upcoming Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Severe weather has taken its toll on this country, like it has in many other parts of the world. In the last 100 years, the island’s cities have faced double the global average temperature rise. That along with rising sea levels could be capable of submerging one-third of Greater Taipei within the span of two generations. Not just that, typhoons too are becoming increasingly frequent and destroying vulnerable communities in the south. The country also ranks eighth in the world for carbon emissions per capita among nations with over 10 million population - although change is a foot owing to present government reforms and more investment in renewable energies.

Ali Russell, Chief Marketing Officer at Extreme E, said: “Extreme E aims to raise awareness of the climate crisis, and it is fantastic that we will air our sport for purpose series across Taiwan which unfortunately has its own environmental challenges.

“Extreme E is an incredibly entertaining format that shows the potential of electric vehicle technology through thrilling wheel-to-wheel racing. By shining a spotlight on the environmental crisis this way, we hope not only to raise awareness but also highlight changes that can be made to live a less carbon-intensive lifestyle and protect the planet.

“I’m really excited to bring Extreme E’s innovative broadcast product to the Taiwanese audience – we look forward to telling the stories of the race, the environment and the people involved.”

Sally Chen, CEO at ELTA, said: “ELTA has strived for professionalism and richness in passion for Sports throughout the years, and it is of great honor for ELTA to help bring awareness of the climate crisis through broadcasting Extreme E on MOD platform. ELTA's faithful audiences know that we have continued to try our very best on achieving quality performance on sports broadcasting and also taking part in changing for the better. Bringing Extreme E to our audience will be a fine example of such dedication.”

Extreme E is supported by some of the greatest names in motorsport that includes Formula One World Champions Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg and Jenson Button, along with American motors sporting icons Chip Ganassi and Michael Andretti.

All of the teams will field both a female and male driver, first time in the history of world motorsport - in an attempt for gender equality. The drivers will race in an electric SUV – ODYSSEY 21 – at five locations that have all been adversely impacted by the climate crisis. 

Extreme E aims to highlight these issues through its sustainable motorsport, which will make use of a variety of methods to minimize its carbon footprint, right from racing electric SUVs to zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell car charging in partnership with AFC Energy, but it will move further and, by the end of first season,  aim to be net-carbon zero.
Taiwan's ELTA TV to broadcast Extreme E

According to a press release by Extreme E, the path breaking electric SUV racing series, Extreme E has today announced that South Africa’s SABC (South African Broadcasting Corporation) will broadcast each five of this year’s X Prix live on its linear channels, SABC1, SABC2, SABC3 and SABC Sport Channel – which kick started with much anticipated debut X Prix which was held in AlUla in Saudi Arabia a couple of weeks ago.

With head offices in Johannesburg, the South African Broadcasting Company (SABC) is one of the country’s largest state-owned aggregates providing 19 radio stations and five television channels in the region.

The broadcast deal means fans in South Africa can witness Extreme E’s exciting race coverage along with its behind-the-scenes magazine show and documentaries like Climate Changers, How to Build a Race Car and Best of Extreme E - all free to air. Besides, Championship's coverage will be available on SABC’s digitals platforms like SABC Sport Portal, Telkom One OTT Platform and OpenView.

South Africa, like many places in the world, faces a host of climate challenges. 
Climatically sensitive, the area already suffers from intense air pollution as 77% of the energy generated in the country is procured from coals resulting in vast deforestation which is equivalent to losing 20 football pitches every minute.

Ali Russell, Chief Marketing Officer at Extreme E said: “The impacts of climate change can be devastating, and nowhere is that clearer than in this region, where increasing deforestation and heavy use of fossil fuels is threatening an already fragile environment.

“Today’s agreement with SABC will allow Extreme E to reach a huge South African audience with our sport for purpose series. Our championship is so much more than just exciting electric racing, it’s the opportunity to raise awareness of climate change and highlight ways that we can live a less carbon-intensive lifestyle to protect our planet.”

Gary Rathbone, Head of SABC Sport said: “I believe the future of motorsport starts here with Extreme E, and SABC Sport is absolutely thrilled that we will be able to deliver this great new concept to our viewers on our channels. The fact that its’ focus goes way behind merely racing but delves deep into issues around the environment and the future of our planet's ecology makes Extreme E vital viewing in more ways than one.”

Some of the greatest names in motorsport that includes Jenson Button, Jamie Chadwick, Molly Taylor, Sébastien Loeb and Carlos Sainz, will lock horns for victory in ‘Star Wars pod meets Dakar Rally’ style-racing for the second X Prix to be held at Lac Rose, Senegal on 29-30 May. Every event is crafted to not only showcase the advantages of electrification through motorsport, but also to highlight the adverse effects of climate change.

In addition, the Championships makes it mandatory that each of the Extreme E teams must field both a male and female driver, for the first time in the world of motorsport. 

The 1780-kilogram 2.3-metre-wide ODYSSEY 21, powered by hydrogen fuel cell technology, can accelerate from 0-62 mph in 4.5 seconds at gradients of up to 130 per cent.

According to a press release by Extreme E, the brand new electric racing series finished its debut X Prix last weekend at AlUla in Saudi Arabia with Rosberg X Racing as the winners. However, the series believes the real win was what Extreme E did off the course regarding climate change – one of the key drivers behind this one of its kind sport for purpose.

Extreme E is a Championship with a mission, to throw light at the destructive effects of the climate crisis and demonstrate positive measures that can be taken to safeguard the planet. The series has picked five remote locations for its X Prixs, with the first concluded in AlUla, Saudi Arabia, which was selected to highlight desertification, leading to a loss of biological productivity.



Alejandro Agag, Founder and CEO of Extreme E, said: “It has been two years in the making, but I’m thrilled that Extreme E’s first X Prix – the Desert X Prix – is complete.

“The weekend delivered on its promise of exciting racing, but more importantly our mission to race without a trace and leave a long-lasting positive impact. I’m very proud of what we have achieved in Saudi Arabia, from our talks on the St. Helena by world-renowned scientists focussing on the global climate crisis and solutions, through to our turtle conservation project with the Ba’a Foundation.

“Extreme E is much, much more than just motorsport and I hope people have taken away from it that the climate crisis is a major issue we are facing right now, and that there are many small actions we can take to save the planet.”

Legacy Programme

At every racing location, Extreme E will leave a long-lasting positive impact through its Legacy Programmes. In Saudi Arabia, the series collaborated with the Ba’a Foundation to extend its support for turtle conservation along the Red Sea coastline.

The project was disclosed on-board the St. Helena by members from Extreme E’s Scientific Committee, which was then  followed by a tour to Ras Baridi - the place where this initiative will be focussed at, where several of the championship’s star drivers including Jenson Button, Sara Price and Jamie Chadwick come together for a beach clean.



St. Helena

Extreme E's floating centrepiece, the wonderful St. Helena, taking a centre stage in the Red Sea, hosted several workshops before the debut X Prix centering not only around the Legacy Programme, but also the broader climate change issue along with the solutions.  

Hydrogen Fuel Cell

AFC Energy, that provides the championship with hydrogen fuel cell – facilitating the fleet of ODYSSEY 21s to be charged emission-free – made use of the Desert X Prix to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with Altaaqa, the operator and owner of one of the world’s biggest mobile diesel generator rental fleets. This will back the transition of the area's power generation industry to zero emission solutions making use of AFC Energy’s hydrogen fuel cell technology.   

Sustainability

Many measures were taken to ensure Extreme E would remain the most sustainable event possible, right from zero single-use plastic on-site to communal water stations so reusable bottles could be filled along with sustainable and biodegradable food packaging by Polymateria to even feilding the bin police to make sure the people were recycling properly.



Extreme E Count Us In Challenge

Launched last month, The Extreme E Count Us in Challenge enables fans to take practical measures on climate change to bring down their carbon footprint. In the course of just three weeks, around 300 fans have already pledged to take steps that will help them lead a less carbon-intensive life.

However this leaderboard isn’t just a competition for the planet, as the side having the most number of fans committing their support will be given the Extreme E Sustainability Award at the end of this year, presently X44 is at the top of the table.

Extreme E’s next event, the Ocean X Prix, will be held from 29-30 May at Lac Rose, Senegal, Dakar.

New Delhi, Apr 6 (PTI) The first Indian driver to secure a full-time racing deal in Germany's DTM series, Arjun Maini has no qualms conceding that he would be up against a very difficult field but is nonetheless hopeful of a few podium finishes with his Mercedes-AMG Performance Team GetSpeed. The 23-year-old from Bengaluru will be seen in action at the DTM touring car championship in June. "Everybody knows how big the DTM championship is and I followed it while growing up as well and now to be a part of DTM as a Mercedes-AMG driver is an honour. I am really excited," Arjun said during a virtual press conference. "Every driver will say they want to win but it is very difficult line-up this time and we have to keep our foot down and heads above shoulders and keep working from day one. "We had a good start last week. Of course we want to deliver some podiums and race wins but I am focussing on the small steps that we need to take to make it possible." The 2021 DTM begins on June 18 with eight rounds and 16 races scheduled across prominent European racetracks such as Nurburgring, Monza, Assen, Hockenheimring and more. The opening round of the season takes place from from June 18-20 in Monza, Italy. Talking about competition, Arjun said: "It will be crazy and really high, I am expecting that, I have to the at the top of my game and have to be consistently performing at the highest level. "You don't know what the competition is until the first qualifying in Monza. There are a lot of good drivers and teams. It is great to be the first Indian driver at DTM and hopefully will be able to get some results to the Indian team." On the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Arjun said: "Travel can be quite difficult these days. It is same for everyone. What is happening in the world is not ideal. Just looking to get back to racing." Asked if he is also eyeing a stint in Formula One after this, Arjun said: "Not really, It has nothing to do with F1. My focus is on getting my performance together and I am not worried about what comes later." Arjun had become only the third Indian after Narain Karthikeyan and Karun Chandhok to contest in the prestigious 24 hours of LeMans race. Acknowledging their role, he said: "Karun and Narain both have been supportive of me. It is good to have two main men of Indian motorsports helping me with advice that I needed." Arjun started his racing career with karting in 2006. He won the Indian junior championship in 2011 and took part in the 'One from a Billion' Hunt, which was run by former Formula 1 team Force India. As the winner, he was given the opportunity to race karts in Europe. In 2013, he switched to single-seater racing, in which he enjoyed success in the F4 British Championship. Arjun's career took him, via the Formula 3 European Championship and the GP3 Series, into the FIA Formula 2 Championship, in which he drove in 2018 and 2019 but without much luck and success. In 2019-2020, he raced in the European Le Mans Series and in the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans.

According to a press release by Extreme E, the brand new electric off road racing is all set for the inaugural race in Saudi Arabia starting this weekend from 3-4 April. Alejandro Agag, Founder and CEO of Extreme E, said: “This is a very special day. Extreme E was such an out-of-the-box idea that many people didn’t think it would ever happen – even I didn’t know if we would get to this day. In these COVID times, it would have been impossible to organise this event without the incredible support of our hosts and our teams, and I must thank Saudi Arabia for welcoming us. We are getting ready for something amazing this weekend." All the 18 participants were given the opportunity to sample the 18km course centering between three canyons in the giant desert surrounding AlUla, while being behind the wheel of the ODYSSEY 21, giving them the taste of what the weekend will have on the cards for them. Several of the competitors participated in a live-streamed press conference in between the two seasons and commented on the event and the action that will be followed ahead. Jenson Button, JBXE driver, said: “It’s exciting to be here, with so many great teams and drivers from around the world. "I’ve done a bit of off-roading before in a rally car, but nothing like this in the sand and the ODYSSEY 21 is a very different vehicle – I’ve never previously driven four wheel-drive. It’s certainly extreme. You’re playing with the steering wheel the whole time and the course is insane!' Sara Price, Segi TV Chip Ganassi Racing driver, said: “I’m so honoured to be here – in the world of off-road racing, you have no idea how big this is. It’s pretty incredible to have the whole of our industry watching us, and when somebody told me this morning that I was making history as the first driver to take to the course, it’s just crazy and so cool. It’s already been such a journey and an adventure. I’m very grateful and glad to be a part of something that means so much. Stéphane Sarrazin, Veloce Racing driver, said: “It’s incredible to be contesting the first-ever Extreme E event in such an extraordinary setting. This is a great opportunity to be part of something shaping the future, because there’s no question for me that electric is the future for motorsport. Timmy Hansen, Andretti United driver, said: “Both on a professional level and personally, this is a huge adventure. It’s about something bigger than ourselves, the race car is cool and the course is fun. It’s obviously very different to the testing we did last year, but the car feels great and seems to suit the track very well." Mattias Ekström, ABT CUPRA XE driver, said: “I’ve got many reasons to be happy being here. The older you get, the wiser you get and my main priority is to enjoy it all and have a good time. Extreme E is all about short, fast action, making it perfect for Cupra as such a cool brand, and obviously ABT as an organisation know how to win." Laia Sanz, ACCIONA | Sainz XE Team driver, said: “I’ve got such a mixture of emotions. I’ve always been a fan of Carlos [Sainz – team-mate] since I was very young, so you can imagine how excited I was when he called me. He’s very professional and super competitive, so I’m sure I have the best teacher possible and can learn a lot from him." Johan Kristoffersson, Rosberg X Racing driver, said: “We did a recce of the track yesterday; it looked spectacular and challenging then, and when I got out there with the race car today, it lived up to all of those expectations. It’s going to be very competitive with a lot of experienced teams, but Nico [Rosberg] has assembled a team with a bunch of winners and the guys have done a fantastic job with the car – everything was spot-on, which let me go out and do my thing on-track. Nico Rosberg, Rosberg X Racing Founder and CEO, said: “Since my F1 career ended, I’ve been focussed on sustainability and when Alejandro Agag called me and told me about Extreme E, for me it was the perfect match. To combine my passion for racing and sustainability in the same project is awesome. We’ve been out this week helping turtles and removing plastic from the beach, and of course that’s not big impact on its own but what we want to do is raise awareness of the problems the world is facing and show that we care." Carlos Sainz, ACCIONA | Sainz XE Team driver, said: “I’m happy to be here and trying this new way of motorsport. It’s a great opportunity and I want to approach it a little bit more relaxed. It was really interesting to spend time with the scientists on the ship, helping us to better understand what is going on in the world with global warming, CO2 and the coral reefs." “We are here to compete to win and I’m really happy to have Johan [Kristoffersson] and Molly [Taylor] on-board." Sébastien Loeb, X44 driver, said: “Extreme E is a completely new universe for me in every aspect, from the electric side to teaming up with a female driver. It’s a new era for motorsport, and I’m happy to be a part of it from the start." The racing action will kick start today, (Saturday, 3 April), featuring four qualifying time trial sessions, followed by Sunday, the 4 of April that is booked for the semi-finals and final, which will determine Extreme E’s very first X Prix winner.

According to a press release by Extreme E, the off road racing championship has announced that Allianz will be their Official Insurance and Founding Partner ahead of their inaugural race in AlUla, Saudi Arabia on 3-4 April. Allianz has already collaborated with the ABB FIA Formula E Championship and FIM MotoE World Cup and this partnership with Extreme E will extend Allianz’s presence in electric motorsport. The world’s leading insurance and asset management company will provide Extreme E with joint insurance cover and focus it’s activations on select races starting with the first race in Saudi Arabia. Alejandro Agag, Founder and CEO of Extreme E, said: “Allianz is a brand with a long motorsport history and I’m incredibly proud to again be partnering with them on a new electrifying project. Allianz supports and shows a real interest for sustainable motorsport and shares many values similar to our own, including courage and confidence which you will see plenty from the Extreme E drivers at our first event in Saudi Arabia this weekend.” Hector Muelas, Global Brand & Customer Experience Officer of Allianz, said: “We are proud to support Extreme E on their ambitious path, highlighting the impact of climate change and showing care for our environment by executing the legacy projects in affected areas. Together we want to shape the future of electric mobility and enable the usage of clean technologies as part of the Allianz long-term sustainability agenda.” Extreme E is an electric off-road racing series with the aim to highlight the effects of climate change and promote the use of electric vehicles by racing in some of the most extreme locations around the world. Following their inaugural race in AlUla, Saudi Arabia on 3-4 April, the off-road championship will visit Lac Rose in Senegal on 29-30 May, Kangerlussuaq, Greenland (28-29 August), Pará, Brazil (23-24 October) and Tierra del Fuego, Argentina (11-12 December).

The Bahrain Grand Prix saw F1 champions Mercedes get back to winning ways with Lewis Hamilton finishing on pole position. The team isn’t just winning on the race track but also commercially with German tech giants TeamViewer announced as an official sponsor of Mercedes AMG Petronas in a five year deal. As per the terms of this sponsorship deal, the TeamViewer logo will be visible on the Mercedes F1 and Formula E cars along with the racing suits of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas. Based in a small town in south west Germany, TeamViewer is a technology company founded in 2015 that develops software for remote access to computers and has reached more than 2.5 billion devices. Mercedes consider this deal an important step to achieve their goal of net zero emissions. TeamViewer was recently announced as the official sponsor of football giants Manchester United in a deal that will also span 5 years starting from the 2021-2022 season. With the COVID-19 pandemic, the services of the German tech company has never been more relevant and the increased coverage from two of the biggest names in motorsport and football will only help towards achieving this goal.

New Delhi, Mar 26 (PTI) Young Indian racer Arjun Maini has become the first Indian to secure a full-time racing deal in the Germany-based DTM touring car championship. Maini, who had switched to sports car racing in 2019, will race for the Mercedes-AMG Performance Team GetSpeed in the 2021 DTM season comprising eight rounds with 16 races across Germany and Europe. "I am absolutely delighted to be driving for Mercedes-AMG with Getspeed in DTM. My first real experience of the championship came in 2015 when I was competing in Formula 3 and we drove on the same weekend as DTM," Maini, a former Haas F1 team development driver, said on Thursday. "The atmosphere was something I had never experienced before. I feel privileged to finally live out one of my dreams. The series enjoys a fine reputation around the world and is the perfect opportunity for me to test myself against rapid GT3 drivers," he added.Martin Schwenk, Managing Director and CEO of Mercedes-Benz India, said: "He will be the first Indian to compete in the DTM and it is highly satisfying to see Indian racers making their impressive mark by competing against the very best of motorsports talents across the world. "At the highest levels of internationally acclaimed motorsports events like the DTM, this accomplishment by Arjun is indeed inspiring for aspiring and budding motorsports talents in the country." GetSpeed Performance operates from the business park at the Nurburgring.Maini started his racing career with karting in 2006. He won the Indian junior championship in 2011 and took part in the ‘One from a Billion ‘Hunt, which was run by former Formula 1 team Force India. As the winner, he was given the opportunity to race karts in Europe. In 2013, he switched to single-seater racing, in which he enjoyed success in the F4 British Championship.Maini's career took him, via the Formula 3 European Championship and the GP3 Series, into the FIA Formula 2 Championship, in which he drove in 2018 and 2019 but without much luck and success.In 2019-2020, he raced in the European Le Mans Series and in the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans. The DTM will feature GT3 cars for the first time in 2021. A race weekend comprises two free practice sessions on the Friday, followed by a qualifying and a one-hour race – including a pit stop – on both the Saturday and the Sunday. The opening round of the season takes place from from 18-20 June in Monza, Italy.

Scuderia Ferrari is the oldest and the most successful Formula 1 team in history. For the tifosi, the symbol of the prancing horse is almost holy and the brand itself is one of the most recognizable in the world. With 16 constructor championships and 15 driver championships, this legendary team has been a part of motorsport history featuring some of the most iconic drivers such as Alberto Ascari, Juan Manuel Fangio, Niki Lauda and Michael Schumacher to name a few. However, the fabled Formula 1 team has been unable to replicate the results of old for over a decade and the 2020 season saw Ferrari experience their worst F1 World Championship in 40 years. The question on everyone’s lips is what has gone so wrong for this iconic team? How long will it take to get back to winning ways? Let’s trace back to 2019 when Ferrari’s blistering pace was described as “jet mode” by none other than Lewis Hamilton. The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) conducted checks and found nothing wrong in Ferrari’s engine, but a matter related to fuel flow brought about by Red Bull led to a rules clarification before the United States Grand Prix. It all went downhill from there, leading to a dramatic decrease in pace just hours later and Ferrari has been unable to recover from it’s downward spiral. What followed was a secret deal by Ferrari and the FIA that raised further questions about the legality of their actions. It became immediately evident that the lack of performance was down to the power unit. Since then, Ferrari have claimed to have made improvements to the 065/6 power unit for the 2021 season, and if recent results were to be taken under consideration, Carlos Sainz Jr. set the third fastest time in the pre-season practice ahead of the Bahrain GP. It’s important to take into account that while Ferrari may have improved, so have their competitors and the prancing horse will be playing catch up in the 2021 season. Just like any other sport, Formula 1 is cyclical and radical improvements do not happen overnight. Team principal of Ferrari Mattia Binotto has already downplayed expectations, claiming that this project could take years. With the introduction of budget caps to create a level playing field starting with $145 million for 2021, $140 million for 2022 and $135 million from 2023 to 2025, it does seem like an uphill battle for a team like Ferrari that reportedly spends $400 million every year. Binotto had also claimed that the team’s struggles were not just due to the power unit but also aerodynamics and with the change regulations from last year to this, it’s unlikely that Ferrari would be able to make drastic improvements. The 2021 season will see two young drivers in Charles Leclerc (23) and Carlos Sainz Jr. (26) take the reigns of the prancing horse, their youngest driver lineup since 1968 when Ferrari featured Chris Amon and Jacky Ickx. It’s evident that Ferrari’s strategy is long term gain over short term success, which is why the upcoming 2021 Formula 1 season is a transitional one with the aim to get the glory days back in the years to come.

According to a press release by Extreme E, the pioneering electric race series has announced BT Sport as a broadcaster ahead of its inaugural race in Saudi Arabia. BT Sport will air all five X Prixs starting with Desert X Prix from AlUla, Saudi Arabia on April 4th. They will also be featuring the championship’s race highlights on demand. Viewers will also be able to access Extreme E’s regular ‘Magazine’ show to give viewers an insightful and behind the scenes look of this unique series. Extreme E will join BT Sport’s motorsport portfolio that already includes MotoGP, FIM Speedway, WRC and DTM. Simon Green, Head of BT Sport, said: “Sports broadcasting, like every industry, has a part to play in climate change and our coverage of Extreme E will be a constructive step in highlighting positive environmental messages to our customers. I know how important this is as part of BT’s ongoing efforts to become a net zero carbon business by 2045 and for BT Sport to become one of the greenest broadcasters in the UK.” Ali Russell, Chief Marketing Officer at Extreme E, said: “Today’s broadcast agreement with BT Sport marks another major coup for Extreme E. Apart from allowing us to bring our thrilling electric race format to even more sports fans in the UK and Ireland, BT Sport provides us with an invaluable platform to share the wider environmental and equality message behind the championship. “Although the domestic uptake of electric vehicles is increasing, there is still work to be done to showcase the potential of EV technology. By focusing on the environment through sustainable motorsport, Extreme E hopes to encourage fans to make changes to reduce carbon emissions and slow down the climate emergency.” Each team will be featuring one male and female driver and the series already features some stellar superstars such as Jenson Button, Jamie Chadwick, Molly Taylor, and Carlos Sainz Snr who will be racing in identical 550-bhp electric vehicles known as ODYSSEY 21. The cars and the championship’s freight will be transported to each location on the St. Helena. In a bid to reduce carbon emissions, the number of spectators at each venue will be kept at a minimum and the ship will feature an on board science laboratory to conduct research on marine environment throughout the voyage.

According to a press release by Extreme E, the Championship announced today the second of its seasoned off-road racers who will contribute in advisory roles and be on site as ‘Championship Drivers’ in case if any of the teams need them during the debut season. Jutta Kleinschmidt will join the series as an official advisor, a role in which her vast experience of over thirty years in Cross-Country Motorsport as an accomplished driver and advisor will be brought to full use. Meanwhile, Timo Scheider has also been previously confirmed as a Championship Driver and Extreme E’s course advisor. Due to the nature of the venues Extreme E will be touring in 2021, teams won't have the services of a back-up driver on site during the events, hence Kleinschmidt will step up as the female back-up if any of the sides need her to take charge of the wheel during the season. Jutta Kleinschmidt, born in Cologne, Germany had an illustrious career in off-road racing. She first appeared at the world-renowned event, the Dakar Rally in the bike category in 1988. However, by 1994 she changed to four wheels and moved towards the car category. Three years later she went on to become the first woman to record a stage victory and in 1999 bagged a third place overall. In 2001, she engraved her name into the history books as the first female Dakar Rally winner. A further two podiums in 2002 and 2005 consolidated her spot as the most successful female driver in the category till date. James Taylor, Chief Championship Officer at Extreme E, said: “We’re all absolutely thrilled to have Jutta [Kleinschmidt] and Timo [Scheider] on-board. We have a huge amount of respect for both of them and what they have achieved in motorsport. “Jutta really needs no introduction as the only female driver to ever win the Dakar Rally – she is a legend in off-road racing and is a passionate supporter of the move to new and innovative technologies, which makes her the perfect person to take on this role.” Jutta Kleinschmidt said: “Simply put, it's absolutely amazing to be part of the Extreme E family as an adviser and ‘Championship Driver.’ It’s an incredibly exciting role that will require all of my experience. “I’m also going to really enjoy supporting the sporting team on a range of things. Environmentally friendly new technologies are the future of motorsport so I can’t wait to join this innovative and revolutionary new Electric Off-Road series, which also provides an important equal gender racing format to showcase the best in female driver talent. “It is a great opportunity for women to team up with men, compete together on the same material. Extreme E combines future motorsport technology with gender equality. Nothing comparable exists in motorsport up to now.” Extreme E’s debut X Prix will be held from 3 – 4 April in AlUla, Saudi Arabia.

According to a press release by Extreme E, it has unveiled the first of its two ‘Joker Drivers,’ in the form of Timo Scheider, a seasoned German racer with two DTM titles under his belt. He will be supporting the series across myriad sporting projects. Along with his ‘Joker Driver’ responsibilities of being on hand to jump into one of the ODYSSEY 21s at a moments notice, Timo will also contribute towards designing Extreme E’s race courses at all of its far-flung locations. Scheider has participated in a variety of motorsport disciplines right from single-seaters to touring cars and rallycross. He won back-to-back DTM titles in 2008 and 2009, a 24 Hours of Le Mans podium in 2010 alongwith wins at the 24 Hours of Spa and the infamous Nurbürgring and also the World Rallycross podiums in 2017 and 2020. The 42-year-old's ability to adapt his driving style according to different terrains, car requirements and conditions will prove of paramount importance in his new role with the championship. James Taylor, Chief Championship Officer at Extreme E, said: “It’s fantastic to have Timo [Scheider] on the team, he has a huge amount of knowledge so we have a lot of faith in his abilities to support the championship. “Timo has invaluable experience working across so many motorsport disciplines on terrains and conditions at either end of the scale, so he was a natural choice to help design the courses we’ll be racing on.” Timo Scheider said: “It’s a pretty new experience for me and I was super excited about the Extreme E team and the challenge to design a course in the middle of nowhere. I really enjoyed the first recce in Saudi Arabia and designing a course in the desert. There are so many things to consider, but the course is going to provide incredible racing. I'm really looking forward to getting behind the wheel of the ODYSSEY 21 and be the first to drive the official Extreme E course in just a few weeks’ time, it’ll be a moment in history. “The ‘Joker Driver’ role is pretty cool too and I’m delighted to be available for all the teams and fulfil a driver role should it be required. “Extreme E marks a new era of motorsport and its environmental ethos is something very special. I think the idea to create a motorsport series to raise awareness of the environment and the impact we as humans are having is an important one. I think the series is going to change the face of motorsport and that's why I'm really looking forward to being on this journey.” The second joker driver for Extreme E’s inaugural season will be revealed later this week. The series’ opening X Prix will be held from 3 – 4 April in AlUla, Saudi Arabia.

According to a press release by Extreme E, the brand new off-road electric racing championships announced on Sunday that the Middle East’s top extreme sports and adventure satellite channel, MBC ACTION will broadcast five of the series’ X Prixs across its territories in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Extreme E’s inaugural race will be held in Saudi Arabia at AlUla and citizens from 23 Arabic-speaking nations will be able to catch up with the thrilling series that will be aired in English, Arabic and Farsi. Besides the race highlights, the review and magazine shows will also be available on MBC ACTION, alongside its digital platforms. Part of MBC GROUP, the biggest and top most media firm in the MENA, MBC ACTION is a free-to-air channel that was launched in 2007. It brings to its audiences the latest sports news, action-packed movies, dramas, and thrillers with a focused and dynamic 360 experience. Ali Russell, Chief Marketing Officer at Extreme E, said: “With our series making its debut in Saudi Arabia in just a matter of weeks, we are delighted to announce our broadcast agreement with MBC GROUP today. As home to the most widely watched TV networks across the Middle East and North Africa, MBC GROUP provides us with the tremendous opportunity to bring Extreme E’s innovative technology and its crucial conservation and equality message, to a vast audience of almost 300 million Arab speakers. “I am confident that Extreme E’s incredible menu of motorsport firsts including a thrilling fully electric format, male and female driver pairings and the environmental stories behind the series, will delight MBC’s discerning and wide-spread audience and we can’t wait to bring the action to them in April.” Ashraf Younis, Director of MBC ACTION added: “With a few weeks to go until the Desert X Prix takes place in stunning AlUla, our partnership with Extreme E couldn’t have come at a better time. We cannot wait to showcase the events of this off-road racing series in the world’s largest continuous sand desert to audiences across Saudi Arabia and the rest of the MENA region. This series is definitely one to watch.” Nine teams will compete at Extreme E’s inaugural race at AlUla. The region is a home to stunning landscapes and rich history but has faced the adversities of climate change which is leading to longer and hotter summers and intense desertification affecting its already vulnerable biodiversity. Extreme E aims at ‘race without a trace’ and for a reduced local impact, the event will not be open for spectators, with followers, instead urged to follow the series through the live TV broadcast and on social media.

According to a press release by Extreme E, they have confirmed the latest addition to team JBXE in Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky, who will join the team’s founder and driver Jenson Button in the cockpit. The Swede served as a test partner for the championship’s founding partner, Continental and helped develop the CrossContact Extreme E tyre which will be fitted into the electric SUV’s ODYSSEY 21. She recently made history as the first and only woman to win races at the Scandinavian Touring Car Championship in 2018. Kottulinsky also successfully competed in the Scirocco R-Cup Germany and took part in the Audi Sport TT Cup. Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky, JBXE driver, said: “I am delighted to be joining the JBXE team alongside Jenson Button, it feels like a dream come true. “Not only do I get to race with such a fantastic team mate, but we both really believe in the platform of the series. Extreme E is more than just another motorsport, it is a sport for purpose which we can use to showcase electric vehicles and motivate people to rethink their views on the consequences of climate change. If we can make this racing series exciting, innovative and interesting to follow, the willingness to make big and small changes will grow – for the benefit of our world and everyone on the planet.” Jenson Button, Founder and driver, JBXE said: “I am delighted to be welcoming Mikaela to JBXE and to have her as my teammate. She brings with her some fantastic experience behind the wheel and her work with Continental and Extreme E to this point clearly demonstrate what an asset she will be to the team. “In Mikaela I also have no doubt we have an incredibly valuable ambassador to represent JBXE, and Extreme E as a whole, in the fight to raise awareness of climate change and to help implement the Extreme E Legacy Programme projects along the way.” Alejandro Agag, Founder and CEO of Extreme E, said: “I am delighted to see Mikaela selected for the JBXE team and officially welcome her onboard the adventure as our latest Extreme E driver. Her work with Continental has been integral to helping create the championship tyre, and whilst she is the latest to join the party, I’m sure that her previous knowledge and her early experience in the car will help her get stuck in quickly. “Mikaela and Jenson are certainly going to make a strong driver pairing and I can’t wait to see them racing in just 22 days at our first X Prix in Saudi Arabia.” Mikaela’s inclusion completes the driver line up for the inaugural Extreme E race after confirmation was received that Team Techeetah will be postponing their entry in the series. Owned by the Indonesian Indover Group, the team has cited the COVID-19 pandemic as the reason for the delay. Team Techeetah has been unable to test their cars and drivers due to the global travel restrictions but will be joining the series at a later date. Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky will join the likes of Sébastien Loeb, Molly Taylor, Jamie Chadwick, Timmy Hansen and Carlos Sainz Snr. at the inaugural race in the deserts of AlUla in Saudi Arabia on 3rd and 4th April. The series will aim to highlight and raise awareness about the environment issues faced by our planet and climate change as well as support Legacy Programmes at each of its five locations to leave a lasting impact.

According to a press release by Extreme E, the brand new electric off-road race series, which is all geared up for its debut race in Saudi Arabia next month, today announced its latest broadcast partnership with Sports TV Croatia (SPTV), the country's leading sports station. Based in Zagreb, SPTV will broadcast each five of the series' X Prixs, comprising the live broadcasts, repeats and highlights in English on its linear channel. Besides, the audience will also be able catch all the thrilling action of the path-breaking competition via its digital platform sptv.hr/uzivo - that stresses on the importance of diversity and gender equality in sports. Just like other many parts of the world, Croatia is also under pressure to bring down the production of harmful carbon emissions. During the past few years, the country has seen a sharp rise in the use of electric vehicles as it now hosts around 800 charging points in 300 separate locations – a progressive move that the championship focuses to support by highlighting the potential of electric motorsport. Ali Russell, Chief Marketing Officer at Extreme E, said: “Extreme E is delighted to have signed a deal with SPTV today – not only is the channel known for its excellent coverage of a wide range of sport in Croatia, but it is also committed to highlighting issues surrounding the environment and gender equality – both of which are key messages of our series. “I am confident that this, coupled with our thrilling and unique race format, will ensure that Extreme E is the perfect fit for SPTV’s sports aficionados.” Petar Čavlović, General Manager at SPTV, said: “As a television channel that broadcasts all sports and considers them equally important, we believe that in addition to Extreme E’s innovative sporting side, it is also vital to raise awareness amongst our viewers of important issues such as climate change and gender equality.” Extreme E's inaugural race will take place in Saudi Arabia on 3-4 April, the series will further visit Senegal, Greenland, Brazil and finally at Patagonia during December. By scheduling races in locations that are facing grave climate issues, the objective is to increase the audience's knowledge and interest regarding the environmental crisis.

According to a press release by Extreme E, the innovative electric off-road racing series today announced 'Kärcher' as the Official Cleaning Supplier for the Championship. Germany's Kärcher is well known around the world for its professional and domestic cleaning equipment and now it will collaborate with Extreme E to make sure its fleet of ODYSSEY 21 electric SUVs are kept in perfect condition at each of this year’s five X Prixs, along with maintaining the interior neatness of the championship’s floating wonder, the St. Helena. It will host the series' vehicles, 50 crew members along with its on-board laboratory that also accommodates a variety of scientists. Cleaning stations will be established on a temporary basis at each of the competition's courses in order to keep the cars clean during X Prixs, initialising with the series opener in the deserts of Saudi Arabia in a few weeks’ span. The Kärcher equipment makes sure that no environmental damage takes place, reiterating with Extreme E’s objective to ‘race without a trace’ at each of its distant locations this year that includes Brazil, Patagonia, Greenland, Senegal and Saudi Arabia. Ali Russell, Chief Marketing Officer at Extreme E, said: “We are delighted that Kärcher has come on board as Extreme E’s cleaning supplier. The company shares the same ethos as us in terms of environmental wellbeing and promoting everyday solutions for our planet, and we certainly believe it’s vital for us all to acknowledge that." Christian May, Deputy Chief Executive Officer & Chief Sales Officer at Kärcher said: “We are very proud to support Extreme E as Official Cleaning Supplier working together to draw attention to the consequences of climate change." "At its core, Kärcher stands for preserving values. This idea has completely convinced us: Driving all-electric SUVs in mixed teams in places that are highly endangered by climate change in order to draw attention to this problem and similar ones.” she added. After the opening race in Saudi Arabia on 3-4 April, Extreme E will travel to Senegal, Greenland, Brazil and Patagonia. By scheduling races in locations that are facing severe environmental crises, the goal is to raise the audience's knowledge and interest regarding environmental issues. In an attempt to minimize the championship’s carbon footprint, the motorsport event will also feature an exclusive viewing format, as races will take place without spectators and broadcasted as two-hour programs . Based on the brand claim, Kärcher has come up with the motto ‘Be the difference’ as it aims to serve as a benchmark for sustainability within the domestic and professional cleaning market. The global firm is on a quest for its production to be entirely carbon-neutral till the end of 2021, just like Extreme E.

According to a press release by Extreme E, the first of its kind motorsport event is gearing up to make its much-awaited debut in Saudi Arabia next month. The groundbreaking new electric off-road championship, starting from 3 April 2021, has the objective to utilise its sport for purpose platform for two significant aims, one is to increase awareness regarding the climate crisis and the role of clean energy mobility and the other to uproot the current preconceptions surrounding gender divides in motorsport. Extreme E will feature a number of Champion female drivers such as 2019 W Series winner Jamie Chadwick, Sara Price, the Off-Road Truck Champion and X Games Medalist and Molly Taylor the Australian Rally Champion, competing shoulder to shoulder with some of motorsport’s biggest stars. That includes F1 champion Jenson Button and WRC legend Sébastien Loeb – in a ‘Star Wars pod racing meets Dakar Rally’-style format – all being held in some of the world’s most distant locations. The rules of this motorsport world-first says that every team will place one female and one male driver in identical 550-bhp electric SUVs over a two lap race, known as an X Prix, making sure a complete level playing field among all the competitors. Drivers will finish one lap each of the course with a driver changeover, ‘the Switch’, imbibed into the race format, and it will be the team's decision to determine the order in which they send out their drivers to complement their strategy. Alejandro Agag, Founder and CEO, Extreme E said, “We are striving for equality, and Extreme E’s sporting format is the truest reflection of that goal. Everybody will race together, and only the most effective combination of drivers, team, engineers and car will rise to the top. “I believe that our race format will challenge all of the drivers, male and female, which is what makes this concept so exciting. There is no shortage of women drivers good enough to take the seats!” “My aim is that one day, female participation and achievement throughout motorsport will be at such levels where it simply is not a story – then I will be happy.” he added. Glenda Slingsby, Engagement Officer for International Women’s Day said: “Extreme E is an exciting and progressive example of gender equality progress within motorsport. By choosing to challenge traditional norms, Extreme E sets a new benchmark in including and appealing to a wider cohort. From challenge comes change, and through the vision of Alejandro Agag and the talent of many women like Jamie Chadwick, Extreme E accelerates opportunities for all.” Extreme E’s inaugural race, the Desert X Prix, starts on 3rd and 4th April 2021 in AlUla in Saudi Arabia. Along with being a gender positive sporting format, the series' five-race global voyage also headlines the impact of climate change and human interference in some of the planet's most remote locations along with encouraging the adoption of electric vehicles in an effort for a lower carbon future for the world .

According to a press release by Extreme E, the brand new off-road electric racing series unveiled its inaugural trophy on Friday, designed by Mariano Pineyrua, who entered the championship’s trophy design challenge. The trophy design challenge was launched in October 2020 and invited fans to submit their ideas and designs for the series' Season 1 trophy. The challenge saw more than 100 entries from 31 countries from both children and adults. Ali Russell, Chief Marketing Officer at Extreme E, said: “I was blown away by the number of people that took the time to design a trophy for Extreme E, particularly as we are yet to go racing. The entrants really understood our brand, which is testament to the hard work of all the team, and there were some truly striking designs that really encapsulated all the elements of the series, from gender equality to environment.” Among the total number of entries, ten were presented to the judging panel. The judging panel consisted of Catie Munnings, Driver for Andretti United, Jayne Connell, Partner at Interstate and Creative Lead of Extreme E, Drew Feustel, astronaut and geophysicist and Dr Lucy Woodall, Marine Biologist and Extreme E Ocean Scientist. They assessed the designs on the criteria of circular economy, creativity, technicality and the most important Extreme E factor; is the design impactful and does it evoke emotion? After a lot of deliberation and discussion, they picked Uruguay's Mariano’s design. The idea is simple yet bold and the trophy itself uses the shape of the Extreme E logo to appear like a sculpture. All of the five X Prix trophies will make use of different material inspired by the environmental crisis the series aim to throw light in that location; stone for the desert and water scarcity, recycled plastic for the ocean, recycled mirror for the arctic, burnt wood for the Amazon rainforest and recycled glass for the thinning ice sheets in glaciers. The final result is a bold trophy complementing Extreme E’s objective of increasing awareness about the environmental crisis using recycled materials. Mariano Pineyrua, Extreme E trophy design challenge winner said: “It feels awesome to win the Extreme E trophy design challenge, particularly as a designer focused on circular economy and design. I really wanted to showcase the values and purpose of Extreme E with an attractive and innovative trophy. I think this category of racing will be a game-changer in motorsport worldwide and I can’t wait to see the winners lift the trophies. Thank you to Extreme E and the judging panel for choosing my design.” Jayne Connell, Partner at Interstate and Creative Lead of Extreme E said: “This has been an exciting project to be part of with a very special result. Bringing together art, creativity, entertainment and science with purpose is no easy task. The entries were so imaginative and tough to judge. Credit to all the participants and huge congratulations to Mariano.” In association with Dutch tech company, 3devo, the trophy will be crafted by utilising consumer plastic waste. 3devo has furnished Extreme E with a full material recycling and processing solution, that makes possible the transformation of plastic waste into filament for 3D printing applications, that also includes the series’ winners trophies. The inaugural trophy will be presented to the X Prix winner on Sunday 4 April in Saudi Arabia.

According to a press release by Extreme E, the series' very first race is just a month away and 10 teams are all set to participate, fielding an iconic line-up of legendary drivers. The event is buckled up for an exciting opening weekend when it all unfolds in AlUla, Saudi Arabia between 3-4 April. Alejandro Agag, Founder and CEO of Extreme E, said: “Wow, just one month to go until Extreme E’s race weekend, and what a spectacular place to start our adventure. “The St. Helena ship is on her way to Saudi Arabia, and it all feels very real. This momentous moment is the culmination of years of hard work and planning, and I know AlUla will capture our audience when they get to see this incredible place, such a special setting for our first race.” Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Sports Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal said: “Saudi Arabia is a country where motorsports is beyond a passion for millions of people. We are a motorsports obsessed nation, with a long and proud history of hosting some of the world’s most famous rallies, and of our own drivers participating internationally. We have been honoured by Extreme E choosing the dramatic natural landscape of AlUla to host its maiden race in April and we can’t wait to offer all of our support to ensure it goes down in history as an unforgettable new chapter for motor-racing. “With the challenges and regulations around COVID-19, it is through the unwavering support of the Crown Prince that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is able to still host iconic sporting events like Extreme E at this time, as we continue as a nation to pursue the ambitions of the Saudi Vision 2030 quality of life programme.” Ten teams have signed up for Season 1 consisting of 3 owned by present and past Formula One World Champions, with Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg and Jenson Button founding X44, Rosberg X Racing and JB XE respectively. ABT CUPRA XE, ACCIONA | Sainz XE Team, Andretti United, Chip Ganassi Racing, Hispano Suiza Xite Energy Team, Team TECHEETAH and Veloce Racing will be the other teams that will join them. The Series' driver list has brought together champions from a range of motorsport disciplines consisting single-seaters to rallying, rallycross, Dakar and sportscar racing: Mattias Ekström and Claudia Hürtgen (ABT CUPRA XE); Carlos Sainz and Laia Sanz (ACCIONA | Sainz XE Team); Timmy Hansen and Catie Munnings (Andretti United); Kyle LeDuc and Sara Price (Chip Ganassi Racing); Oliver Bennett and Christine Giampaoli (Hispano Suiza Xite Energy Team); Jenson Button (JBXE); Johan Kristoffersson and Molly Taylor (Rosberg X Racing); Stéphane Sarrazin and Jamie Chadwick (Veloce Racing); and Sébastien Loeb and Cristina Gutiérrez (X44). Extreme E will not only feature short, thrilling motorsport racing to audiences around the world but will also aim to bring into limelight the climate emergency affecting the whole world. The series will feature electric SUVs competing in some of the most distant parts of the world that have all been adversely affected by climate change. Extreme E’s Scientific Committee Members have been working with the series over the last 2 years to make sure the series has a long-lasting positive effect in every location through Legacy Programmes, which also consists of planting one million mangroves in Senegal and reforesting 100 hectares of the Amazon rainforest in Brazil. The Desert X Prix, AlUla, will kick start on Saturday 3 April with the qualification rounds, with the final to be held on Sunday 4 April.

According to a press release by Extreme E, the all-electric off-road racing series, has today announced TV2, Hungary’s top entertainment station as the broadcaster of all five of this season’s X Prixs on its free to air linear channels TV2, SuperTV2, Spiler 1 and Spiler 2. Along with this, the Budapest-based broadcaster will also air Extreme E’s race highlights, review and magazine shows – all in Hungarian. The coverage will also be available on its digital platforms, www.tv2.hu and www.spilerextra.hu. Like many other parts of the world, Hungary has also been suffering from environmental issues, that also includes the need to improve energy efficiency and consider the issues of air, soil and water pollution, both of which could be helped by adopting electric vehicles, which Extreme E hopes to facilitate by highlighting the capabilities of e-mobility through motorsport. Ali Russell, Chief Marketing Officer at Extreme E, said: “TV2 is well-known as Hungary’s top entertainment channel so we are delighted that it will be broadcasting Extreme E’s exciting racing concept as well as airing the vital environmental cause behind the series. “Hungarians clearly have concerns about the environment and the need to change behaviour to reduce carbon emissions, which is one of Extreme E’s key messages. Coupled with the championship’s race format and gender equal platform, I am confident TV2’s audiences will fully engage not only with the racing, but also the wider storytelling around electrification and the need for all of us to take care of our planet.” Gabor Fischer, Director of Programming, TV2 Group: “The world of motorsport is changing extremely fast. Extreme E is a brand new series with a clear purpose: to highlight the problems caused by the global climate change. We are very proud that we can broadcast this highly innovative championship in Hungary as the partner of Extreme E." The series will tour five distant locations, bringing into limelight a variety of environmental crises like desertification, rising sea levels, glacier retreat, deforestation and ice melt. Extreme E’s first X Prix will begin in just 33 days in the deserts of Saudi Arabia with some of the biggest names in motorsport having founded teams that include Formula One World Champions Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg with teams X44 and Rosberg X Racing respectively. Fellow Formula One star Jenson Button has not only founded a team – JBXE – but will also be behind the wheel. Extreme E’s opening race will be held in AlUla, Saudi Arabia on 3-4 April, followed by Lac Rose, Senegal that will be held on 29-30 May, at Kangerlussuaq in Greenland on 28-29 August, Pará, Brazil during 23-24 October and in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina on 11-12 December.

According to a press release by Extreme E, they have revealed that the story of their inaugural season will be told by an all-star team featuring tv presenter Layla Anna-Lee, the on site presenter for the championship’s magazine show while the commentary line up will be led by Jennie Gow and Andrew Coley from a London based studio. Anna-Lee will host the ‘Electric Odyssey’ the championships 20 episode magazine show and will provide behind the scenes information of the series content pillars of environment, equality, electrification and entertainment. Here’s what she had to say, “This is so hard to put into words, because it truly is such a pivotal moment. Before even stepping foot on location, I already know how much of a positive impact this will have on our cause. To be embarking on this adventure of extreme proportions, to be storytelling an epic tale of speed, power and legacy fills me with an empowering and exciting emotion. “Sport has an unbelievably powerful voice. I’m a sports fan first and foremost, and I’ve seen the impact football can have on lives, nations and deep-set traditions and cultures. Teamwork and healthy competition are inspiring things to watch, and through sport, we can communicate great positive messages of change – I’ve seen it work before. “I’m an imperfect environmentalist – I feel I represent many of us who are inspired by a healthier, more compassionate future, and what better way to push boundaries, set precedents and drive change than a high-speed, high-adrenaline off-road racing series? I’m in!” Anna-Lee has presented Extreme E’s sister series Formula E in the past and is a staunch supporter of women in motorsports. Another advocate for Extreme E’s gender equal approach is Jennie Gow who has previously been a presenter and lead commentator for the FIA World Rallycross Championship since its inception in 2014. She had this to say, “I’m thrilled to be joining the Extreme E team as one of its lead commentators. The mission of the series is something that really appeals to me, having been interested and actively campaigning for better environmental responsibility from a young age. Now, as a mother, raising awareness around environmental issues is more important to me than ever before – we are all stakeholders in the future. “Extreme E will do a fantastic job of taking viewers on a journey of environmental awareness paired with thrilling never-before-seen racing action, and I am so proud to be part of the team. This championship has so many areas which I am really passionate about, and at its core it is a brand new motorsport which promises to excite, entertain and challenge drivers, teams and fans alike. “Addressing the big issues as Extreme E does was key to my decision to move out of my comfort zone with presenting and pit reporting and step into the world of commentary. Diversity and inclusion are so important in the future growth of motorsport. This is a powerful moment in time where men and women will be represented in every team. It seems only right, therefore, that there is a mixed team in the commentary box, too. “It’s a privilege to be asked to take to the mic and I’m delighted to work alongside Andrew Coley, who I have known for some years now. He is an absolute pro, and together we hope to reflect the dynamic nature of the sport and bring the audience along for what is going to be an adrenaline-filled ride” she added. Lastly, commentator Andrew Coley said, “I’m super excited to be joining the Extreme E broadcast team and very much looking forward to the start of what is effectively a brand new form of motorsport. Coming from the background I do on the off-road side of the sport, this ticks so many boxes from a competition point of view, with a mix of rallying, rallycross and rally-raid. It’s going to be fascinating to see how it plays out. “The driver line-up is absolutely stellar from all forms of motorsport, and I’m sure some old rivalries will be renewed and some new ones started! I’m really excited to see the pace of the female drivers; motorsport is unique in allowing men and women to compete against each other on equal terms, and I expect the competition to be fierce from the outset. “While we don’t know everyone’s relative form yet, it is obvious that both team members will need to be super-committed from the outset to gain an advantage and tactics are 100 per cent going to come into play... I can’t wait!” The commentators Jennie Gow and Andrew Coley will be special guest analysts for each race from a remote London studio as a part of Extreme E’s aim to achieve net-zero carbon footprint in Season 1. The identities of the special guest analysts will be revealed in due course. The Desert X Prix is the first race of the inaugural Extreme E season in AlUla, Saudi Arabia on 3/4 April followed by Lac Rose in Senegal on 29/30 May for Ocean X Prix, Kangerlussuaq in Greenland for the Arctic X Prix on 28/29 August and Pará in Brazil for the Amazon X Prix on 23/24 October, before concluding with the Glacier X Prix in Argentina’s Patagonia region on 11/12 December.

According to a press release by Extreme E, the all-electric off-road racing series has confirmed Sky Germany as the broadcaster for the championship’s X Prixs, highlights and magazine shows in Germany, Austria and Switzerland in both German and English. Sky is one of the prominent providers of live sporting events in Germany, especially famous for airing Bundesliga matches live since the past 30 years along with gaining an exclusive deal to broadcast all Formula One races in 2020. Ali Russell, Chief Marketing Officer at Extreme E, said: “Germany is a key market for us and I’m delighted Sky Germany has joined our 40-strong list of broadcasters. “Not only is Sky Germany home to top quality sports, just like Extreme E, it has a strong environmental focus with Sky’s international sustainability programmes Sky Zero and Sky Ocean Rescue highlighting its carbon neutral and plastic reduction ambitions. We are delighted the channel will air our exciting racing concept, but also our wider storytelling around electrification and the environment.” Extreme E will tour five distant locations that will each headline a different environmental issue including - desertification, rising sea levels, glacier retreat, deforestation and ice melt. The series aims to spread awareness regarding the climate crisis by integrating sport with purpose. Charly Classen, Executive Vice President Sport at Sky Deutschland, said: “Extreme E is a spectacular new racing series and a great addition to our motorsports lineup on Sky Sport F1. Extreme E also strengthens our already rich on-demand motorsport offering. Not least because of our sustainability initiatives Sky Zero and Sky Ocean Rescue, the race series fits very well into our programme." With just 38 days left for Extreme E’s first X Prix at the deserts of Saudi Arabia, ten teams have been confirmed to participate in Season 1 and the championship stipulates that every team must place both a male and female driver in an attempt for gender equality and a level playing field. The 20 drivers, consisting of superstars such as Jenson Button, Carlos Sainz, Sébastien Loeb and Jamie Chadwick will race an all-electric SUV – the ODYSSEY 21. These cars, along with the rest of the event's cargo will travel to each location on the St. Helena as sea transportation is less carbon intensive than air freight. The ship will not only serve as a logistics hub, but will also have a science laboratory on-board, which will host the scientists carrying out research in varied areas of the marine environment during the world voyage.

According to a press release by Extreme E, the new electric off-road series has revealed its innovative ‘Command Centre’, the classic motorsport pit wall unpacked, that will serve a central role in the live race broadcasts, creating drama and atmosphere. The purpose built studio will host key team players who will come together to watch the racing action and make strategic decisions, operating like a futuristic strategy room. The series has associated with live event production specialists, ADI, to make this one of its kind Sports Presentation solution happen inside it's ‘Command Centre' for it's technical production design will help Extreme E achieve the look and feel of a state-of-the-art broadcast studio, in spite of the distant environments it travels to. The solution will feature 2mm indoor LED screens and LED lighting fixtures, set around an arc-shaped desk that will have representatives from five teams during the race including drivers, team principals and engineers, who will have access to team radio, TV feed and telemetry. Westbury Gillett, Director at Aurora Media Worldwide, explained the concept in detail and ensured a fun and interesting audience experience. He said, "there will be multiple remote cameras and microphones capturing the teams reactions, which will be broadcast live to viewers at home.” Ali Russell, Chief Marketing Office at Extreme E, said: “The ‘Command Centre’ is something completely new, and another fantastic innovation from the Extreme E team. It’s a really exciting proposition for race fans who will get to follow all the action and drama through the key players as it unfolds. “It’s great to have ADI’s support in providing this concept as we plan and deliver this pioneering project across the most remote parts of the world. ADI brings unique qualities in technical infrastructure, sports presentation and operational delivery, which will create outstanding production values at the ‘Command Centre’, and our live broadcast of Extreme E” he added. Extreme E’s inaugural race is all set to take place in Saudi Arabia on 3-4 April, in Senegal from 29-30 May, Greenland on 28-29 August, Brazil on 23-24 October and Patagonia during 11-12 December.

According to a press release by Extreme E, its magnificent ship, the St. Helena is all set to sail for the championship’s opening race weekend, which will be held in Saudi Arabia on April 3-4. The event was marked in Liverpool, UK by Extreme E Founder and CEO Alejandro Agag who said: “Today I feel extremely proud. The departure of the St. Helena marks the start of her new voyage. Extreme E’s first season is now officially underway." The former Royal Mail Ship that served as a lifeline to St. Helena Island was under Extreme E’s stewardship for more than two years now. The ship underwent a splendid multi-million euro renovations comprising extensive mechanical overhaul along with a full fledged redesigning of the interior. The championship’s cargo from the teams and partners has been loaded onto the St. Helena this week. The items consist of race fleet of electric vehicles (ODYSSEY 21) fitted with Continental tyres, Air Shelta tents that will serve as the team garages, the podium, the start gantry, equipment used for TV and broadcasting, Three 3devo machines to turn plastic waste into trophies for the championship, BRIG Eagle 8 carbon black support boats, zero-emission car charging hydrogen fuel cell created in collaboration with AFC Energy, along with a wide range of Bosch tools. The approach to the refit was to considerably improve, while leaving behind as small an environmental footprint as possible. The ship will use low-energy LED lights, low-water consumption bathroom fittings along with chairs made from recycling plastic bottles from the Mediterranean. After leaving the UK, the St. Helena will travel through the Mediterranean to Saudi Arabia and then head back through the Mediterranean to Senegal, across to Greenland, down to the Amazon and then to the final destination, Tierra del Fuego, Argentine Patagonia.

According to a press release by Extreme E, the pioneering electric off-road racing championship has announced Belgium’s RTBF as the newest inductee to its broadcasting list. The series will join the thrilling roster of motorsport action, including Formula One already available on the RTBF’s linear channel along with its digital platform. The French Community of Belgium public broadcasting organisation is the Radio Télévision Belge Francophone (RTBF). RTBF operates four television channels - La Une, Tipik, La Trois and Arte Belgique - alongside several radio channels, La Première, RTBF International, VivaCité, Musiq'3, Classic 21 and Tipik Radio. Extreme E has already confirmed some of the biggest motor sporting icons including Formula One World Champions Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg and Jenson Button. All of them have founded teams like X44, Rosberg Xtreme Racing and JBXE respectively. Besides all the motorsports excitement from live racing action, Extreme E’s magazine shows will highlight the environmental efforts of the championship which will be aired on RTBF. Ali Russell, Chief Marketing Officer at Extreme E said: “We are delighted to have added Belgium to our broadcast reach, and we are confident that Extreme E will fit perfectly within the plethora of exciting sports already aired by RTBF.” Manu Van der Brempt, Motorsport Line Producer at RTBF, said: “RTBF is very involved in the challenges of the future, audiovisual evolution as well as environmental matters. Moreover, most Belgians appreciate creativity and that’s a major part of Extreme E’s proposition: thoughtful innovation - an initiative to commend from my point of view.” Following the inaugural race in Saudi Arabia from 3 - 4 April, the series will proceed to Senegal from 29 - 30 May, Greenland during 28 - 29 August, Brazil from 23 - 24 October and Patagonia from 11 - 12 December. As races will be held without spectators, the series will feature a different viewing format and will be broadcasted as two-hour programs in an effort to minimize the championship’s carbon footprint.

According to a press release by Extreme E, with just 50 days to go for the Extreme E’s first race weekend and with ten teams confirmed, showcasing a legendary line-up of champion drivers, the series is all set for an iconic action packed weekend in Saudi Arabia on 3-4 April. Founder and CEO of Extreme E, Alejandro Agag, said: “Wow, just 50 days to go until our first race weekend. I’m delighted and proud we have got to this point despite everything that has gone on in the last year. Our adventure now truly begins, with the St. Helena departing on her voyage in a matter of days. This is the culmination of a number of years of hard work, and I really can’t wait to see all the cars, drivers and scientists at our first event in Saudi Arabia.” There are ten teams who have been confirmed for Season 1 consisting of three owned by current and former Formula One World Champions, with Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg and Jenson Button founding X44, Rosberg Xtreme Racing and JBXE respectively. Along with these teams there will be ABT CUPRA XE, ACCIONA | Sainz XE Team, Andretti United, Chip Ganassi Racing, Hispano Suiza Xite Energy Team, Team TECHEETAH and Veloce Racing. The Extreme E driver list brings together champions from various motorsport formats right from single-seaters to rallying, rallycross, Dakar and sportscar racing: Mattias Ekström and Claudia Hürtgen (ABT CUPRA XE); Carlos Sainz and Laia Sanz (ACCIONA | Sainz XE Team); Timmy Hansen and Catie Munnings (Andretti United); Kyle LeDuc and Sara Price (Chip Ganassi Racing); Oliver Bennett and Christine Giampaoli (Hispano Suiza Xite Energy Team); Jenson Button (JBXE); Johan Kristoffersson and Molly Taylor (Rosberg Xtreme Racing); Stéphane Sarrazin and Jamie Chadwick (Veloce Racing); and Sébastien Loeb and Cristina Gutiérrez (X44); with three driver spots still up for vacancy. Jamie Chadwick, Driver, Veloce Racing said: “It’s incredibly exciting with just 50 days to go. I’m training hard everyday and getting myself in the best condition possible come race day." Johan Kristoffersson, Driver, Rosberg Xtreme Racing added: “I'm not sure where all the time has gone! But, it is super exciting to be 50 days away from the start of the Extreme E season in Saudi Arabia." Extreme E will not only bring thrilling racing action to the world audience through its 40 plus international broadcasters, but will also fulfil its purpose to throw light at the issue of climate change through motorsport, the series will feature electric SUVs speeding in some of the most remote parts of the world that have all been adversely affected by climate change.

According to a Press release by Extreme E, they have confirmed partnership with Digicel with regards to broadcasting live racing action, plus highlight shows and docu-series, all over the Caribbean. The first race will be held in Saudi Arabia in April and will be broadcasted on Digicel’s channels like Catch 1 and 2, and on Sportsmax 1 and 2. The Content will be broadcasted in three different languages including English, French and Spanish. It will be available in 24 countries throughout the region. Extreme E is a new racing series consisting of electric SUVs competing in extreme environments around the world. The series aims towards creating awareness about the effects of climate change and human interference in some of the most remote parts of the world, featuring the performance of all-electric vehicles in extreme conditions and encouraging the adoption of electric vehicles in an effort for a lower carbon future for the planet. The five-race world tour will take place in some of the world’s most remote areas which have already been harmed or adversely affected by climate and environmental issues. The Caribbean, consisting predominantly of island states, is particularly vulnerable to the impact of climate change. The rising sea levels lead to coastal flooding, hurricanes, longer dry seasons and shorter wet seasons, resulting in adversities to the population and environment. Chief Marketing Officer at Extreme E, Ali Russell, said: “Extreme E aims to raise awareness of the climate crisis, and it is fantastic that we will air our sport for purpose across the Caribbean, which unfortunately has its own environmental challenges. By shining a spotlight on the environmental crisis through exciting wheel-to-wheel racing, we hope to not only raise awareness, but also highlight changes that can be made to live a less carbon-intensive lifestyle and protect our planet.” Digicel Home and Entertainment Group Chief Executive Officer, Gyorgy Zsembery, said: “We are excited to work with Extreme E as the broadcast partners for the Caribbean on this upcoming series. This innovative concept not only gives our audience access to top quality motorsport by some of the best in the industry, but also highlights the issue of climate change, a real concern for the Caribbean, and presents a model for how things can be done in the future.” Extreme E consists of ten teams starring some of the greatest personalities in motorsport including Formula One World Champions Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg and Jenson Button; along with American motorsport legends like Chip Ganassi and Michael Andretti. Each of the teams for the first time in motorsports will have both a male and female driver and they will drive an electric SUV – ODYSSEY 21 – in five locations that have all been affected by climate change. The first race will be held in AlUla, Saudi Arabia from 3–4 April, followed by Dakar, Senegal from 28-29 May, Kangerlussuaq, Greenland from 28-29 August, Para, Brazil from 23-24 October and Tierra del Fuego, Patagonia from 11-12 December.

London: According to a press release by Extreme E, they have announced a broadcast association with Israel’s Charlton TV. The Tel-Aviv based station will broadcast Extreme E’s live races and highlight shows in Hebrew. The broadcast will be available on its pay-to-view Sport 1, Sport 2, Sport 3 and Sport 4 channels along with its digital platform www.sport.co.il. Like many parts of the world, climate change has also affected Israel and is creating a major impact on all areas of life there. Sea levels in the region rise on average by 10mm per year, which will eventually harm all of Israel’s coasts right from Rosh Hanikra to the border of the Gaza Strip. Ali Russell, Chief Marketing Officer at Extreme E, said: “Extreme E is delighted to be joining Charlton TV’s existing and wide-ranging sporting line up in Israel, a country which unfortunately also faces its own environmental threats. Adar Zahavi, CEO of Charlton TV said: “Charlton TV is delighted and proud to be delivering Extreme E to our sports fans here in Israel. It is hugely important for us to provide exciting content to our discerning audience and by airing on several of our channels in addition to our digital platform, we will not only provide superb entertainment to a huge number of viewers but also convey Extreme E’s underlying and wider message - which is concern for the environment.” Extreme E will not only showcase short, sharp and thrilling races but there will also be broader purpose to the championship pertaining to the environment issues. The series will be held in five locations that have all been badly affected by issues like desertification, deforestation, melting ice caps, plastic pollution, and rising carbon emissions. Extreme E aims to highlight these issues through its sustainable motorsport, which will utilise a variety of methods to reduce its carbon footprint, from racing electric SUVs to zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell car charging, but it will go further and aims to be net-carbon zero by the end of its first season. It will motivate consumers to take small steps to reduce their own carbon footprint and help slow down the climate emergency.

According to a press release by Extreme E, their Official Supplier of equipment and training 3devo will be creating trophies from consumer plastic waste. The Netherlands based tech company 3devo will provide Extreme E with full material recycling and processing solutions which will transform plastic waste to filament to 3D print applications including winners trophies. Ali Russell, Chief Marketing Officer at Extreme E, said: “This concept from 3devo was founded by a group of young inventive engineers and I’m delighted Extreme E is able to implement this technology. The 3devo mission to assist businesses to be more sustainable is a shared vision of Extreme E, which is why the series is looking for lower carbon intensive ways to run the championship from zero emission vehicles, right through to trophy creation. “It is incredibly satisfying to know that using ocean plastic for our trophies has a positive impact on the environment, and I can’t wait to see our inaugural race winners lift them in Saudi Arabia on the 4 April.” Tim Wesselink, Founder and CEO at 3devo, added: "Our mission has always been to empower innovators within 3D printing through accessible and quality products to create material discoveries. Thankfully, through our solution, these discoveries aren't wasteful. By minimising plastic waste consumption and repurposing the waste created – it takes a whole new turn on innovation. “By Extreme E recognising and acting upon the impact of climate change, we truly believe this partnership will allow us to amplify our message. Showing the world that the plastic waste that is threatening our environment, can also be seen as something useful when repurposed. “We are proud to contribute to Extreme E as an example of closed-loop recycling within 3D printing - from plastic waste to a resource. Extreme E's eagerness to implement technology that is not only sustainable but also offers the opportunity to innovate is extraordinary and admirable. We are beyond thrilled to support Extreme E and ready to overcome the greatest challenges together." Three machines have been provided by 3devo - a filament maker, plastic shredder and polymer dryer which will be used to turn waste plastic into trophies. The entries of Extreme E’s trophy design competition recently concluded with over 100 entries being judged by a panel comprising of Catie Munnings, driver for Andretti United, Jayne Connell, Partner at Interstate and Creative Lead of Extreme E, Drew Feustel, astronaut and geophysicist, and Dr Lucy Woodall, marine biologist and Extreme E Ocean Scientist. The winning design will be announced in the coming weeks.

Every racing fan knows a person amongst their friends or family who firmly believes that motorsport isn’t a “real” sport. To them, a sport involves a large amount of physical effort which leads them to conclude that archery, shooting and god forbid, football are also not real sports, despite the fact that they will be played at the Olympics. Usually, the problem is that they compare the physical demands of auto racing to their own experience of driving to the supermarket in a regular road car, which indeed requires no physical exertion whatsoever, but these two things have about as much in common as fishing by the lakeside and wrestling with an alligator in the lake. I was appalled to find that a large percentage of people believe auto racing isn’t a sport because in their eyes, racing drivers simply sit in a seat and drive a car. They are rooted in the perception that an individual is only considered an athlete when they physically move. Then there are people who claim that the six time Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson wasn’t an athlete because “he sits in a car and he drives… what is he athletically doing?” Unfortunately, people like these are not well informed. Motor racing is one of the most extreme sports on the planet. Sitting in a racing car is unlike any other car ride a person may have ever experienced. As part of the engineers’ effort to strip as much weight from race cars as possible and only keep the necessary parts, a racing car features very few creature comforts. The seat is functional enough to ensure drivers stay in place while maneuvering around corners and the absence of air conditioning means enduring the heat and humidity for hours on end, especially at races like the Malaysian Grand Prix, with humidity up to 80% and temperatures exceeding 104° F or 40° C. In addition to the difficult conditions, a racing driver is expected to wear five-layer fireproof race overalls which add to the discomfort for long durations. It can be even worse for drivers racing in closed cockpit cars, inside of which temperatures frequently surpass 120° F or 49° C. The heat causes more than mere discomfort, as the average F1 driver sweats upto 8.8lb/ 4 kg of his own body weight throughout a Grand Prix. The loss of such a significant amount of body weight also results in a drop in mental focus and reflexes, attributes that are key for any racing driver. To remedy this, drivers are expected to drink up to 2 gallons or 7.6 liters of water before hot races to ensure hydration. As compared to the ordeals of auto racing, these are the easier parts. Let me leave this article here for now.. Shall talk more on why auto racing is a ‘real sport’ in the upcoming articles. About the author Sahil Sanjay Shelar is a professional motor racing driver with over 17+ years of motor racing seasons under his belt and 100+ races in India and Asia. He is also a motorsports mentor and is associated with various automobile magazines and publications to review all things cars and motorsports.

Coimbatore, Jan 23 (PTI) Competing for the first time, teen sensation Amir Sayed from Kottayam once again set the Kari Motor Speedway ablaze by winning the Novice Cup category in the JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship here on Saturday. Even though two more races are still left, by winning all the 10 races so far the 16-year-old has ensured no one can surpass him. It has been a fantastic two days for me and I am thrilled. However, I would like to try and win the two remaining races as well on Sunday," said the teenager, who comes from a motorsports family. His father Sayed Senior was a rally driver many years ago. Amir Sayed has been confidence personified all through this championship. If, in the first round, held at the same venue last month, the youngster showed he had speed and control, the last two days he has been sensational. On Friday and Saturday, Amir soaked in the pressure well. He knew he was the favourite. Sitting inside the 1300cc engine which generated considerable pace on a track which was resurfaced recently, he was in total control. During the COVID-19 lockdown, the Kari Motor Speedway has undergone a massive facelift. The surface has been redone as a result of which the drivers were able to get a better grip. Race director Rajan Syal spoke of how the drivers felt better now. "There has been improvement in the track conditions and the timings reflect it," said Syal. Earlier, the track length was 2.1km, which has now been increased to 2.6km in surroundings that are pleasant and bucolic. In the Formula LGB 4 category, Ashwin Datta from Chennai showed he is the man in rich form with a penchant for speed. There were two races on Saturday and Ashwin finished first in one and second in the other race. He is in a very good position to seal the championship (aggregate 57 points).

While the world is in a standstill amidst a global pandemic and people forced into a lockdown, one industry has thrived at a time when the markets are facing an unprecedented economic crisis. The esports industry has not just survived but prospered as people seek an engaging form of distraction while practicing social distancing. According to Market Watch, the two most popular streaming platforms, Youtube and Twitch have seen a massive growth with a 20% increase in the number of hours streamed during the lockdown. With the absence of traditional sports, esports betting has also become more common as people have more time to spend viewing esports during isolation, leading to higher spending. With movie theatres and concerts a distant possibility in the current scenario, the global video game market has become worth four times that of box office revenues and three times the music industry revenue to a sum of $159 billion in 2020. The pandemic has disrupted the day to day livelihoods and esports has been the savior of in-house entertainment, leading to unprecedented traffic in the industry. The resilience of the esports industry amidst the global pandemic has also attracted potential investors and sponsors who have looked beyond traditional sports to an industry that is not just immune to the coronavirus but also a potential recession. That’s not to say that esports tournaments around the world weren’t affected at all. According to Forbes, 31.6% esports events transitioned from LAN to online with about 23.5% events outright cancelled. However, if taken in comparison to traditional sports, esports has successfully adapted to the situation. Many traditional sports also transitioned to esports, such as the F1 that streamed the game on their channels to keep fans occupied while in isolation and fill in the void of motorsport consumption. Nascar hosted a race with virtual tracks and famous drivers in April with a 903,000 viewer audience and many sponsors. NBA 2k struck a deal with ESPN 2 to broadcast its games on mainstream media, all because of the sheer demand. In a world that is increasingly gearing towards a digital age, the esports industry is at the forefront to continue its upward growth trend. With the growing popularity of esports and it’s potential to reach untapped markets in developing countries, esports could be well on it’s way to eventually reach the heights of traditional sports and maybe exceed it. The world will be a very different place once this pandemic ends, but one thing is for sure that the esports industry would be in a much better position than where it was before it all started.

Motorsports has existed in India for more than six decades now, but it is in the last few years that this sport has gained popularity and generated interest across the country. With growing participation in international races and road racing events, India's role in the global motorsport arena has never been bigger. Indian auto manufacturers are investing their resources into this sport and are already seeing returns with strong finishes in international events. Even our home-grown racers are making a name for themselves on the global stage, and today many young racing drivers in the country are aspiring to be professional racers. What started as and was always perceived to be a niche sport for the affluent in the early years, has gained mainstream popularity and has been considered as a serious sport after the establishment of Federation Of Motor Sports Clubs Of India (FMSCI) in the 1970s. It not only brought about a shift towards this sport but also set the base for serious professional motorsports in the country with standardised rules and regulations. Post this development, this game attracted attention from auto industry players as they realised that the learnings from the track would help in improving the performance of the stock vehicles and will also provide impetus to the motorsports in India. Today we have two big racing series in India, the JK Tyre National Racing Championship and the MRF Racing Championship which has series like the Volkswagen Polo R Cup under it, giving the athletes scope to showcase their motor racing skills across various categories. From the years of Narain Karthikeyan and Karun Chandhok, we now have many motorsports athletes coming up through the ranks… and the scene of motorsports in India is poised for a glorious future. The sport still needs more brands and big players to come in and support the sport and its athletes. When this happens, we will see motorsports become the pinnacle of sports in India in no time. The sport already has a crazy fan following, which is only growing with every passing day… and with upcoming race tracks in Pune, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, it is only going BIG! About the author Follow him on Instagram: sahilsanjayshelar Sahil Sanjay Shelar is a professional motor racing driver with over 17+ years of motor racing seasons under his belt and 100+ races in India and Asia. He is also a motorsports mentor and is associated with various automobile magazines and publications to review all things cars and motorsports.

Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), Jan 15 (PTI) Kevin Benavides triumphed after 12 gruelling stages while teammate Ricky Brabec finished second to give Monster Energy Honda team the overall victory at the Dakar Rally here on Friday. It was an intense, yet intriguing 202-kilometre special stage, which brought down the curtain on the Dakar Rally on the shores of the Red Sea. Benavides clinched the 2021 Dakar crown with team-mate Brabec taking the runner-up position. This was the first title for the Argentinean Monster Energy Honda team rider and, once again, a historic result for Honda, which dominated throughout the 2021 Dakar. Over 12 tough days, Monster Energy Honda team commanded the rally, accomplishing the final mission for a second successive year, said a release.

Vienna, Jan 15 (PTI) Promising Indian racer Jehan Daruvala was on Friday handed a one-year extension by Red Bull Racing team, which will enable him to compete along side Carling in the upcoming Formula 2 season. The 22-year-old, who is being hailed as the next big thing in Indian motorsports, created history last month, when he successfully culminated his maiden FIA Formula 2 Championship with a well-deserved victory. Daruvala's victory in his rookie season was preceded by a hard fought podium a week prior. The Red Bull Junior program has been instrumental in producing some of the world's best F1 racers over the years including, four-time World F1 Champion Sebastian Vettel, Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo, Alex Albon, Pierre Gasly, Carlos Sainz and many others. Daruvala's continuation in the Red Bull Junior Program was inevitable, given his stand out performances in arguably one of the most competitive seasons ever. 16 different drivers were on the podium while 12 of them won a race each. Daruvala was also the fastest overall in the official post season testing, besides finishing on top in two out of the three days of testing. "I am very thankful to Red Bull for their continued faith in me. I'm extremely excited to be staying in F2 and with Carlin for 2021 as a Red Bull Junior," said Daruvala. "We made a lot of progress last year. It was great to end the season on such a high with my first F2 win and then back that up with front running pace in post-season testing," he added. Daruvala will continue to team up with Carlin for his second season. His excellent points haul in the last two rounds last season, helped Carlin rise to third in the Team Championship. Team Principal Trevor Carlin said, "We're extremely pleased that we have the opportunity to carry on the great progress we have been making with Jehan (Daruvala) and have another attack on the FIA F2 Championship. "Jehan did a great job last season as an F2 rookie, to really show his true potential by the second half of the season. "To finish the year off with a third place and then a win really confirms what we knew from the start," he said. The 2021 season kicks off in Bahrain on March 26 and will now have three races at each weekend. All eight weekends will continue to run concurrently with Formula 1, ending on December 12 in Abu Dhabi. Prior to the F2 campaign, Daruvala will participate in the Asian F3 Championship for the all-Indian team -- Mumbai Falcons.

Bangalore, Jan 12 (PTI) Formula 2 racer Arjun Maini, Rishon Rajeev and Ishaan Madesh emerged champions in the MECO-FMSCI National Karting Championship 2020 (Rotax Max), sweeping all the titles on offer. The championship drew to a close with three rounds being held back-to-back at the same venue to ensure the safety and convenience of all drivers and teams in the middle of a raging pandemic. India's first Formula 1 driver, Narain Karthikeyan drove in a few races as a guest driver. Maini (NK Racing Academy) was head and shoulders above the Rotax Max field, garnering the maximum points in each of the three rounds to comfortably take the crown. He finished second in the pre-finals and finals in Round 3 and 4 but raced to first place in Round 5 twice for a tally of 431 points. His younger brother, Kush (NK Racing Academy), incidentally clinched the top position in each of the three rounds he had competed in. He didn't take part in Round 2 and Round 5, which allowed Arjun to claim the title. Agra's Shahan Ali Moshin (MSPORT) took the second position with an aggregate of 400 points in the category while Bangalores Mihir Suman (Birel Art) finished just four points behind to take the third place in the championship table. Another Bangalore lad, Rishon Rajeev (Birelart), kept his grilling run going, winning the Junior Max title with 436 points. Ruhaan Alva (MSPORT) with 410 points and Rohaan Madesh (Peregrine Racing Intl) with 399 grabbed the other two positions on the podium. Rohaan's younger brother Ishaan Madesh (Peregrine Racing International), however, brought home a championship trophy by clinching the Micro Max title fairly comfortably. He collected 445 points which was way better than Aditya Suresh Kamat (Birelart Racing; 413) and Arafath Sheikh