Max Mayer has told us how he lived last season and what he expects from this year, where as well as competing in karting, he will also compete in the Ligier European Series.

Looking to the future, one of his main objectives is to be able to compete in the World Endurance Championship.

QUESTION: WHO IS MAX MAYER?

Max Mayer: I am quite an aggressive driver, but I also have a lot of mental capacity. I have worked hard to achieve things and to reach my goal, which is to compete in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) and to be a professional driver for a Hypercar team.

Q: WHO INTRODUCED YOU TO THIS WORLD?

MM: I started with my father when I was four years old. I drove my first kart when I was five years old, a TopKart. I remember when I saw it for the first time, I was very impressed. Then when I was seven years old I started racing in national races, and from there I progressed, competing in Europeans, doing world championships in karting, and now I am where I am thanks to that, and to Kokoro, which is a driver programme that has helped me to go from karting to cars.

Q: HOW DID YOU GET STARTED IN THIS WORLD?

MM: My start in karting was a lot of fun. I remember doing the regionals and the nationals, where I won the Valencian Championship three times in a row. From then on I competed in bigger championships. In my first year of mini I was third, and in junior we started very well, but it was a bit difficult. I am very happy with my karting career.

Q: HOW DID YOU EXPERIENCE THE PANDEMIC?

MM: The pandemic was when I joined Kokoro. In that programme I also work a lot with the simulator, which helps me to prepare much better for each race, and we can also practice different techniques. We didn’t touch the kart for about six months, which made us lose a lot of control over the kart.

Q: IS IT COMPLICATED TO COMPETE IN DIFFERENT COMPETITIONS DURING THE SAME YEAR?

MM: I don’t think so, because in karting we always compete with the same drivers. It is more complicated when you move up from X30 to OK, which is an engine that has no clutch. Also, you are with factory teams and other drivers, but it’s easy to adapt.

Q: DO YOU THINK A LOT ABOUT THE RACES BEFORE YOU GO RACING?

MM: I wouldn’t say no, because if you do you put a lot of pressure on yourself and get nervous. I don’t think about that. I used to eat my head a bit, but now I just flow without thinking.

Q: DO YOU HAVE A GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH ALL YOUR RIVALS?

MM: I have a lot of friends in karting, but that’s off the track. When you are racing, it’s a different world. When you are inside the kart, the attitude changes, but I have never had a problem with that.

Q: WHO IS YOUR RIVAL ON THE TRACK?

MM: I want to beat them all. When I do my best, but it’s not enough, it makes me a bit angry. I’m always there to try to beat them.

Q: DO YOU HAVE A CLOSE RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR TEAM?

MM: I have been with my karting team, Marlon Kart, for 11 years in total. They have always been like a family to me, they have always supported me. It’s a very close relationship.

Q: WHAT IS IT LIKE TO HAVE COMPETED IN KARTING FOR SO MANY YEARS?

MM: There comes a point when you get a bit bored with the automatics. If you compete for so many years in the same discipline you can get a bit overwhelmed. On the other hand, if you move on to KZ, which is what I’ve done, it’s a different world. It’s the most fun there is in karting.

Q: HOW DIFFICULT IS IT TO COMPETE IN THE LIGIER EUROPEAN SERIES?

MM: It is very interesting. I see myself doing well in the championship, the main goal is to win it. I think we can do very well, although they are all very fast drivers.

Q: HOW DOES IT FEEL TO COMPETE IN THE FORMULA 4 SPANISH CHAMPIONSHIP?

MM: I won a scholarship for Formula 4 thanks to Formula Campeones. I am very happy, I am very happy. It has been an incredible year, where I have learned a lot of things. It has also been difficult, as our team is smaller, we don’t have as many drivers as Campos Racing for example. It was a positive year, even if we were not where we wanted to be.

Q: HOW DO YOU RATE YOUR START OF THE SEASON?

MM: I have looked very good in pre-season testing and I am ready for the first race in Barcelona. It won’t be easy, we will see our real performance on Friday.

Q: WHAT IS YOUR RACE TIME ROUTINE?

MM: I am in a motorsport training centre where we are eight drivers from all over Spain. We train for two hours in the morning, then we have lessons and in the afternoon we do two hours in the kart, although we also have a gym so we can prepare ourselves well.

Q: HOW WOULD YOU RATE YOUR PREVIOUS SEASON?

MM: It was difficult because we didn’t have the same telemetry as the others. However, I am happy, as I have been able to improve my mental capacity. If something doesn’t work, I can adapt very well, and if something doesn’t work, I can fix it.

Q: HOW DO YOU SEE YOUR FUTURE? WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS?

MM: Being in the Ligier European Series, my goal is to make it to the WEC. I see myself very well for the next few years, where I can be in a very competitive world. Since I was a kid I have always wanted to race in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the 24 Hours of Daytona….

L'entrada Interview with Max Mayer: “My goal is to reach the WEC” ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

In his first NASCAR outing for Rick Ware Racing in tandem with Mobil 1, Button almost retired due to heat exhaustion in his #15 Ford Mustang after starting from the back of the grid. He qualified 24th out of the 39 entries and had a steady race.

He never looked threatening while running at the lower half. But it wasn’t all down to his or car performance, post-race Button revealed about of heat exhaustion, so much that he almost wanted to retire due to not being able to drive properly.

He hung on still to eventually finish 18th despite getting a late whack from former F1 rival Raikkonen, who was in the #91 Chevrolet Camaro for Project 91 team. This was the first of the three races for Button and it was already exhausting for him.

“You get to Turn 1 and everyone is in the way,” said Button to Fox Sports. “People are braking later than me and they just hit a car and use that to slow down. That was the thing for me. It’s just, I have to say, I enjoyed the race, I’d say 60% of it; 40% of it kind of felt a bit silly, the amount that we were hitting each other. In Turn 1… I would turn in and get whacked. Luckily it didn’t spin me round and on the exit I got a big whack back.

“The revenge is enjoyable but there’s points where it feels that we could do better. I mean the action’s amazing, don’t get me wrong, I have to give it to these guys. The first 10 laps, it just destroyed me… every time I was in a corner I had someone overtaking me. I had to take a while to learn the racecraft, and I hadn’t raced for three years either, and I’ve never hit a car – intentionally – and then after the first stint, when I changed tyres, I was like, ‘Guys put me in clear air, I need some laps on my own’, and they did, they did a really good job on the pit stop and I was able to run clear.

“I really enjoyed it and the pace was good. And then on the next stint I’d had a whack from Kimi and it just felt so oversteery, I just went backwards, and I also had heat exhaustion. I was like ‘guys, I have to stop’, it was that bad. It was so hot. I don’t have a fan in my seat, which really didn’t help me too much. I stopped twice for a minute. They put ice on me, gave me loads of water, and I went back out.

“I was so close to getting out of the car because I thought I was going to faint. I must have drank eight or nine bottles of water during the race. The team kept me calm, and it’s the reason why we got a good result in the end. So, I was happy,” summed up Button. On the other side, Raikkonen did not have heat issues but had late dramas.

The Finn ran as high as fourth at one stage but his pace dropped amid caution and restarts where he used up his tyres. A late spin and a penalty dropped him to 29th eventually after starting from 22nd. “I think it was not too bad, I mean the car behaved on most of the [time] pretty nicely,” he said.

“We just got unlucky with a few of the incidents and then got taken out a few times but it’s one of those things. In the end I just had no tyres left and it kept [wearing] after more restart and more restart. And with the spin that I had, the tyres were just done, but yeah, it’s a shame.

“I don’t know, nobody knows [about future events], but it’s just a shame how it went in the end but I think we did the right things, we were there… we will see what the future brings, but right now I have no clue,” summed up Raikkonen.

Here’s full results: https://www.nascar.com/results/racecenter/2023/nascar-cup-series/circuit-of-the-americas/stn/recap/

L'entrada Button had heat exhaustion, got hit by Raikkonen in NASCAR race ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Jenson Button will make his NASCAR Cup Series debut at Circuit of The Americas as part of a three-race partnership with Mobil 1 Racing, Button announced Thursday on Race Hub. Button will drive the No. 15 Mobil 1 Ford Mustang fielded by Rick Ware Racing at COTA, the Chicago Street Course and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. Marketing and promotional support is being facilitated by Stewart-Haas Racing, according to a press release, noting prior collaborations between the two programs with numerous drivers.

The Englishman is also one of three primary drivers piloting NASCAR’s Garage 56 entry in the 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans. Button won 15 times during his 17 seasons in Formula One and claimed the 2009 championship with six victories. He was announced to the Garage 56 lineup on Jan. 28, bringing him into the stock-car world for the first time at age 43. He joins seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson, Le Mans and Daytona winner Mike Rockenfeller and alternate-slash-coach Jordan Taylor.

Between his full-time F1 departure in 2016 and arrival to Garage 56 this winter, Button leapt into sports cars, claiming the 2018 championship in the Japanese Super FT Series’ GT500 class ahead of a five-race stint in the 2018-19 FIA World Endurance Championship. From the 24 Hours of Le Mans to the Baja 1000, Button has driving plenty of unique vehicles — but none on that list includes an appearance in a NASCAR Cup Series race.

“Obviously, racing a Cup car is very different than what I’m used to,” Button said in a team press release. “It’s a lot heavier with a lot less power and, basically, no downforce. It’s got a sequential gearbox where you need to blip the throttle, so there’s lots of stuff to learn in a very short space of time.

“But I just get excited about that new challenge, and when I throw myself into something, I am 100 percent in. I’m not just doing it for fun in some one-off. I want to be competitive, and I know that to be competitive, it’s going to take a bit of time. That’s why doing these three races works very well this season.”

Sponsoring this year’s three-race effort will be Mobil 1, a longtime sponsor of both Button and NASCAR. In 2013, Button appeared with Tony Stewart, now co-owner of SHR, in the famed advertisement that introduced us to “soda cookies.” Button’s relationship with the company dates back 20 years, proving a fitting match for his inaugural Cup endeavor.

“I won the world championship with Mobil 1, and 14 of my 15 wins in Formula One were with Mobil 1, as well as winning the Super GT championship with them,” Button said. “We’ve had a really close relationship over the years and I can’t think of a better partner. Mobil 1 has been a big part of making these NASCAR races happen for me, so I’m very thankful to them for giving me this opportunity. I look forward to working alongside the brand to get the best out of every race weekend.”

A decade after their commercial debuted, the duo of Button and Stewart is reunited at NASCAR’s premier level. SHR, co-owned by the three-time Cup champion Stewart and F1 team owner Gene Haas, remains the home of 2014 title winner Kevin Harvick, whose 60 wins and 23 seasons of experience speak for themselves.

In a February interview with NASCAR.com, Button noted: “I think if I could do a few races, I would be up for it. Jumping in for one? That doesn’t interest me.” Consider the wish granted. This also isn’t the first time he has thought about hopping into a NASCAR vehicle. “I live in the States now, so I’ve looked at races in NASCAR,” Button told NBC Sports. “It’s not something I’m educated in in terms of ovals of experience there. So the road course is always something I’d like to aim for in racing. So this [Garage 56] is a perfect step into NASCAR.”

Another step closer, Button will have a multitude of other resources to prepare for his maiden competitive debut behind the wheel of a NASCAR Next Gen vehicle. While Johnson provides the easiest connection via his stock-car success and their Le Mans teamwork, Taylor will also compete at COTA, making his Cup debut for Hendrick Motorsports in place of injured 2020 series champion Chase Elliott.

On Wednesday, Button concluded a two-day test at COTA behind the wheel of the Garage 56 entry. Taylor told NASCAR.com it was a “flawless test” by his evaluation as the program strives to find better lap times in preparation for the June 10-11 event.

“The first time I jumped into the Garage 56 car, it was like, ‘What have I done? This is so different,’ and that lasted about four laps,” Button said in a release. “Then it was like, ‘Hang on, it’s still a race car. It’s got four tires that touch the road. It’s a mechanical race car, which is even better for learning.’ I’ve really enjoyed the challenge.

“A Cup car has a lot less downforce and is a lot heavier, but the Garage 56 car has given me an idea of what it will be like along with a direction, which is really useful. I know in my first race I’m not expected to be qualifying right at the front and I’m not expected to be fighting for a victory. I have a lot of respect for the drivers racing in the Cup Series. There’s so much talent there, whether it’s on ovals or road courses.”

Stewart is also no stranger to open-wheeled racers, claiming the 1997 IndyCar championship and piloting the 2008 McLaren MP4-23 which Lewis Hamilton drove to an F1 title. “It’s always a challenge to try a new racing discipline, and the best thing you can bring to a new opportunity like this is an open mind,” Stewart said in a release. “Jenson has been doing that his entire career.

Those F1 cars evolve every year, and Jenson always found a way to adapt. And when he got out of F1, he jumped into sports cars and won another championship. He’s even done off-road. There’s very little that he hasn’t experienced in a race car. He’s new to NASCAR, but he’s not new to racing. This is going to be fun for all of us, and we’re very appreciative of Mobil 1 for making it happen.”

Here’s news on Kimi Raikkonen returning to NASCAR

Here’s Jenson Button with the Guinness record

[Note: The story is as per press release]

L'entrada Button signs up for three NASCAR races with Rick Ware Racing ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

The Iceman is returning to NASCAR and this time at a track he knows quite well. Trackhouse Entertainment Group today announced 2007 Formula One World Champion Kimi Raikkonen will return to the NASCAR Cup Series on March 26 at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas to race PROJECT91’s Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.

The race will mark Raikkonen’s second Cup Series race after debuting with PROJECT91 at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International on Aug. 21 last year. Unlike the Watkins Glen track, Raikkonen is familiar with COTA, racing on the road course eight times during his Formula One career. One of Raikkonen’s 21 Formula One victories, and most recent, came at COTA on Oct. 21, 2018, when he led 39 laps on his way to victory driving a Ferrari.

“I had a fantastic time in NASCAR,” said Raikkonen. “There was a lot to learn in a very short amount of time, but everyone was very helpful, the competition was a big challenge. This time I get to race on a track I am familiar with so there won’t be as steep of a learning curve. I want to have fun, but also do as well as we can.”

Trackhouse Racing – a division of Trackhouse Entertainment Group – fields the No. 99 and the No. 1 Chevrolets with drivers Daniel Suárez and Ross Chastain in the NASCAR Cup Series. Trackhouse Owner and Founder Justin Marks created PROJECT91 last year intent on expanding the organization’s global reach by fielding a Cup Series entry for renowned international racing drivers.

“When we announced Kimi last year I said he was the global superstar I had in mind when we created PROJECT91. I think you saw the fan reception across the world and Kimi’s performance in the car was proof of the concept. Kimi’s following is massive and it’s great for NASCAR, Trackhouse plus I think Kimi really enjoys our racing.”

Raikkonen will race the No. 91 Onx/iLOQ Chevrolet Camaro at COTA fielded by a Trackhouse crew led by 23-time wining crew chief Darian Grubb who won a Cup Series title with Tony Stewart in 2011. Onx is transforming how the world builds homes and neighborhoods through X+ Construction, a fully integrated system that merges high-end design and leading technology, delivering more value at every step of the homeowner journey.

The company served as the primary sponsor on Ross Chastain’s No. 1 Chevrolet when he won the COTA race last year as well as Daniel Suárez’s victory at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway in June. iLOQ, the Finnish pioneer of smart and mobile locking systems, is present in the American market with its battery-free technology that ensures secure and intelligent access management for people and businesses.

Last summer, Raikkonen became the first PROJECT91 driver visiting the team’s Concord, North Carolina race shop and testing with the team at Virginia International Raceway. At the Watkins Glen race, Raikkonen qualified 27th then raced in the top-10 most of the afternoon before a late race accident caused by another driver ended his day.

Marks said Raikkonen will again visit the shop in the days before the Austin, Texas event, but no test sessions are planned before the COTA race. “I’m sure there are a lot of drivers that would like to have a chance to try NASCAR,” said Raikkonen. “It’s not very easy, so maybe it will open some doors in the future for more chances to try and get more Europeans into the sport.”

The native of Espoo, Finland retired from Formula One in 2021 after competing with the Sauber, McLaren, Ferrari, Lotus and Alfa Romeo teams since he started in 2001. His Formula One highlight came in 2007 when he won the F1 World Driving title for Scuderia Ferrari. He competed in the Xfinity and Truck Series races at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May 2011.

[Note: The story is as per press release]

L'entrada Raikkonen will make his NASCAR return with Project91 at COTA ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Double DTM and FIA World Rallycross Champion Mattias Ekström put in a stunning performance to eclipse 17 fellow superstars of motorsport and win the 2023 Race Of Champions for a record-equalling fourth time – on a day of non-stop action on the frozen Baltic Sea at Sweden’s Pite Havsbad, just 60 miles from the Arctic Circle.

Following Team Norway’s triumph in yesterday’s ROC Nations Cup, all cooperation went out of the window today. The individual Race Of Champions pitted some of the world’s greatest drivers – from series including Formula 1, Formula 2, IndyCar, Le Mans, W Series, World Rally, World Rallycross, Nitro Rallycross and X-Games –head-to-head on an icy parallel track featuring ROC’s iconic crossover bridge.

On a sunny afternoon at Pite Havsbad, the Race Of Champions saw greats of global motorsport battling for glory in a mix of identical machinery – including the electric Cupra UrbanRebel Concept, Zeroid X1 rallycross car powered by QEV and FC1-X Nitro Rallycross car. The off-road Polaris RZR PRO XP made a welcome ROC return as did the SuperCar Lites, now powered by 100% fossil-free biofuel.

In front of packed crowds of Swedish fans braving the cold, the best-of-three Grand Final boiled down to a duel between home hopeful Ekström and Mercedes-AMG F1 reserve driver Mick Schumacher. After a thrilling finale as both drivers pushed to the limit, Ekström saw off his German rival by two heats to nil – despite a brief scare when he had to put out a fire in his car – to be crowned ROC Champion of Champions for the fourth time. The Swede thus equals the all-time Race Of Champions record also held by French rally greats Didier Auriol and Sébastien Loeb.

Incredibly, Ekström won two of his previous ROC titles against Mick’s father Michael – at London’s Wembley Stadium in 2007 and at Beijing’s Olympic Stadium in 2009 – which made today’s finale even more special. To reach the Grand Final Ekström and Schumacher had to see off a field featuring 18 of the world’s greatest drivers. Because the track conditions on snow and ice can change quickly depending on the weather, ROC’s traditional group stage did not take place. Instead this year’s Race Of Champions used a straight knockout system with the field split into two halves: one featured the international racing drivers while the other had the rally experts and those with more experience of off-road driving.

At the semi-final stage Schumacher defeated his fellow countryman, the four-time F1 World Champion Sebastian Vettel, 2-0 to take bragging rights in the circuit racers’ half of the draw. On the rally side, Ekström finished on top of the pile having brought an end to a spirited run by Thierry Neuville, the winner of 17 WRC rallies. The quarter-finals saw many big names bite the dust – not least nine-time Le Mans 24 Hours winner Tom Kristensen, who lost to Vettel. The reigning FIA Formula 2 Champion Felipe Drugovich was the other racing driver who went out, beaten by Schumacher on countback of fastest times after a 1-1 tie.

On the rally side Ekström saw off his fellow Swede, the five-time World Rallycross Champion Johan Kristoffersson, after a close battle between the two home hopefuls. The last driver going out at this stage was yesterday’s ROC Nations Cup winner for Team Norway Oliver Solberg, who lost to Neuville after crashing out of their first heat.

The Round of 16 was another graveyard for motorsport’s superstars. In the racing half of the draw, double F1 World Champion Mika Hakkinen fell to Drugovich and 10-time F1 grand prix winner Valtteri Bottas lost to Kristensen. 2022 eTouring Car World Cup Champion Adrien Tambay and triple W Series Champion Jamie Chadwick also left the competition at this stage, beaten by Schumacher and Vettel respectively.

The rally side of the draw was just as brutal. Reigning ROC Champion of Champions and nine-time World Rally Champion Sébastien Loeb fell to Neuville, albeit beaten by just four hundredths of a second. Loeb’s fellow World Rally Champion Petter Solberg lost the battle for family pride, defeated by son Oliver after their shared triumph for Team Norway in yesterday’s ROC Nations Cup. McLaren Extreme E driver Tanner Foust was another of the early casualties, falling to Kristoffersson, while extreme sports legend and Nitro Rallycross Champion Travis Pastrana lost out to Ekström.

Kicking off the afternoon’s action, four of the racing drivers were matched up in pairs for two Round 1 play-offs. 13-time F1 grand prix winner David Coulthard fell to defeat by Tambay while IndyCar race winner Felix Rosenqvist had to bid an early goodbye after spinning off against Schumacher.

Ahead of the main competition, the home fans were given a treat as four Swedish heroes took part in a celebrity race in the Polaris RZR PRO XP. The field featured Olympic skiing gold medallists Ingemar Stenmark and Anja Pärson, ice hockey’s NHL legend and Olympic gold medallist Tomas Holmström and YouTube sensation Emil Hansius. In the end it was Holmström who came out on top, beating Stenmark in the final while Hansius pipped Pärson for bronze.

This year’s Race Of Champions has raised funds and awareness towards a selection of worthwhile charities. The key recipients have included German children’s charity Kinderlachen, the Zelmerlöw and Björkman Foundation’s school in Kenya, the ICM (institute for advanced research on brain and spinal cord injuries in Paris) plus a range of the drivers’ other favourite charities.

Here’s how Team Norway won Nations Cup: https://formularapida.net/video-team-norway-wins-2023-race-of-champions-nations-cup/

[Note: The story is as per press release]

L'entrada Video: Ekstrom beats Schumacher to win 2023 Race of Champions ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

NASCAR today announced a prestigious driver lineup to pilot its Garage 56 entry in the upcoming 24 Hours of Le Mans, the 100th anniversary of the legendary race. Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, former 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Mike Rockenfeller, and 2009 Formula One world champion Jenson Button will share the driver’s seat of the Next Gen Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, which is anticipated to be approved for entry by l’Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) in the coming weeks.

The Garage 56 project is a partnership between NASCAR, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet and Goodyear – the winningest team, manufacturer and tire in the sport’s 75-year history. “Since the beginning of the Garage 56 project, it has been our goal to partner with the top racers in the world to represent us in Le Mans,” said Jim France, NASCAR chairman and CEO.

“The lineup of Jimmie, ‘Rocky’ and Jenson is everything we could have dreamed of – three elite drivers who have won at the highest levels of motorsports worldwide. As we celebrate the 75th anniversary of NASCAR, we are honored to have these world-class champions help bring the sights and sounds of a NASCAR race car to fans in Le Mans, and across the world.”

France was honored last year with the 2022 Spirit of Le Mans Award in recognition of his longtime impact in motorsports and his work securing a historic convergence agreement between IMSA and the ACO. The first chicane at Le Mans’ Mulsanne Straight is now called the “Daytona Chicane” and the chicane at Daytona International Speedway – once referred to as “The Bus Stop” – is now called the “Le Mans Chicane.”

Johnson won a record-tying seven NASCAR Cup Series championships and 83 races for Hendrick Motorsports and Chevrolet in his illustrious career. He recently became part owner of NASCAR Cup Series team LEGACY MOTOR CLUB and will race in next month’s Daytona 500. Johnson helped test the Garage 56 car at Sebring in December.

“I’m super thrilled – it’s been at the top of my bucket list to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans someday,” Johnson said. “To have this opportunity come – and to partner with everybody and this driver lineup – is truly an incredible opportunity and one that I am thankful to be a part of.”

Rockenfeller, whose sports car accolades include winning the 2010 24 Hours of Le Mans, the 2005 24 Hours of Le Mans GT Class, the 2010 ROLEX 24 at Daytona and the 2013 German DTM championship, has served as the lead test driver for the Garage 56 project.  He has driven the car at every on-track test and spent countless hours behind the wheel in the simulator.

“It has been a great journey so far with the whole team and project,” Rockenfeller said. “To be involved as a driver from day one until now was already a great honor, and to now have Jimmie and Jenson alongside me as teammates in Le Mans is unbelievable.”

Button had one of the most prolific careers in F1 history finishing with 15 wins and 50 podiums on top of his 2009 World Championship and is widely considered one of the top British drivers of all time.

“As a lifelong racing fan, I have always dreamed of racing certain cars, with and against certain drivers and competing in certain events,” Button said. “In June, a number of those dreams will come true in one event when I get to bring NASCAR to the world stage alongside my pals Jimmie and ‘Rocky’ for the 100th anniversary of the most prestigious race in the world. I’m really looking forward to sharing this journey with NASCAR, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet and Goodyear, and current and future NASCAR fans from around the world.”

All three drivers will participate in next week’s two-day test at Daytona International Speedway. Jordan Taylor, who currently competes in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship for Corvette Racing, will serve as the backup driver and help coach the drivers. Taylor won the 2015 24 Hours of Le Mans GTE Pro Class and has finished on the podium four times. He is a four-time IMSA champion.

[Note: The story is as per press release]

L'entrada Button to partner Johnson, Rockenfeller for Le Mans 24H entry ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Team Hezeberg is proud to announce that former Formula One driver Daniil Kvyat will make his debut in the NASCAR Cup Series at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course. Kvyat has shown success behind the wheel from the start of his career, winning his first ever professional race in 2005. After consistently showing strong results, Daniil Kvyat and his family moved to Italy to further pursue his career. At the start of the 2013 season, Daniil Kvyat made his debut in the GP3 Series, scoring three wins and five total podiums and ultimately winning the championship in 2013.

After winning the 2013 GP3 Championship, Daniil Kvyat debuted in Formula One for Toro Rosso at the start of the 2014 season, at just 19 years old. At the 2014 Australian Grand Prix, Kvyat finished 9th in the race, setting the record as the youngest points-scorer in Formula One, a record formerly held by Sebastian Vettel. Following a successful 2014 season, Daniil Kvyat was promoted to Red Bull Racing for the 2015 season. His first podium came at the 2015 Hungarian Grand Prix, becoming the second youngest driver to claim a podium finish at 21 years old. Kvyat continued in the Red Bull driver program until 2020, finishing his Formula One career at Alpine as a reserve driver in 2021.

Daniil Kvyat is no stranger to adversity. As a worldwide talent in motorsport, the one thing that Kvyat has shown interest in is NASCAR. The opportunity to come to the NASCAR Cup Series could not have come at a better time. “I’m very happy to be able to make my NASCAR Cup Series debut at Indianapolis. I have always been passionate about racing in NASCAR, the top form of motorsport in the United States. NASCAR has always been intriguing to me, as it is a pure form of motorsport to me.” 

Daniil Kvyat’s debut in the NASCAR Cup Series comes after a hiatus from being behind the wheel, but Kvyat is optimistic about his return to the top levels of motorsport. “I’m looking forward to being successful in this form of motorsport and I hope to contend for wins and championships in the future. I can’t thank NASCAR, Josh Reaume, Toine Hezemans, Ernst Berg, and everybody at Team Hezeberg enough for the opportunity. The guys at the shop have been working tirelessly to prepare machine and myself for this experience. It will be my first time at Indianapolis, and I am looking forward to seeing it in person. From what I have seen on video, Indianapolis is a challenging circuit, but I’m looking forward to that challenge, along with competing in the NASCAR Cup Series.”

Josh Reaume, Co-owner of Team Hezeberg, is excited about having a worldwide talent behind the wheel, and is positive about the Next-Gen’s capabilities at Indianapolis. “Daniil is a very talented driver with an amazing amount of open wheel experience. In my opinion, NASCAR is a great spot for Daniil to end up at, especially with the Next-Gen’s capabilities throughout many styles of racing. I’m looking forward to being a part of Daniil’s transition to NASCAR, and helping him however I possibly can.”

[Note: The above is as per press release with no edits made]

L'entrada Kvyat to make his NASCAR debut at IMS with Team Hezeberg ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

After the pandemic stoppage, Race of Champions marks a return in 2022 with a snow/ice event in Sweden on February 4-6. It is not just the event which is returning but the pair of Vettel and Schumacher will make their return too as part of ‘Team Germany’.

While Aston Martin’s Vettel and Haas’ Schumacher will play for their individual glory in ROC competition, together they will form Team Germany for ROC Nations Cup and this time they will look for the win after ending up second in 2019 in Mexico.

Vettel has already won the Nations Cup with Michael Schumacher for six times. “I’m really looking forward to being back competing in the Race Of Champions again and to represent Germany together with Mick,” said Vettel.

“At ROC Mexico, we came 2nd in the ROC Nations Cup, so our aim is to do one better in Sweden. The competition will be very strong especially from the Nordic drivers who have a lot more experience than us driving on snow and ice,” summed up Vettel.

At the same time, Schumacher added: “Representing Germany together with Sebastian will for sure be big fun, and obviously we aim to win a trophy again. We have to continue the success of Team Germany, and fight for victory, and I am sure we both will take that very seriously.

“The other teams, especially the Nordic ones, may have more ice-driving experience, but we will try to make up for that with our motivation and resilience over the days of the event. Either way, I so very much look forward to meeting all the other drivers and spending time with them during the Race Of Champions weekend. The snow and ice promises to make this ROC event extremely special, and I am more than sure the drivers will have a crazy good time together in Sweden.”

Vettel and Schumacher are the third from the current F1 grid to confirm ROC participation after Valtteri Bottas, who will represent Team Finland alongside Mika Hakkinen. There seven more drivers confirmed thus far, making it 11 to be firm thus far.

Current drivers announced for the 2022 event:

• Sebastian Vettel – 4x Formula One Champion

• Mick Schumacher – FIA Formula 2 and FIA Formula 3 Champion

• Jimmie Johnson – 7x NASCAR Cup Champion

• Mika Hakkinen – 2x Formula One Champion

• Valtteri Bottas – Current Formula One front-runner

• Sebastien Loeb – 9x World Rally Champion

• Travis Pastrana – 2021 American Rally Association Champion and Extreme sport legend

• Tom Kristensen – 9x Le Mans winner

• Johan Kristoffersson – Reigning FIA World Rallycross Champion

• Petter Solberg – FIA World Rally and Rallycross Champion

• Oliver Solberg – Rising WRC star

Schedule for the 2022 event:

• Saturday 5th of February 2022, 12:00 – 15:00 CET: ROC Nations Cup (to Crown the World’s Fastest Nation)

• Sunday 6th February 2022, 12:00 – 15:00 CET: Race Of Champions (to Crown the “Champion of Champions”)

Here’s news on Valtteri Bottas doing ROC

L'entrada Vettel and Schumacher form Team Germany for Race of Champions return ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

It was a happy moment for Ricciardo in last weekend’s F1 US GP when he got to drive the #3 Wrangler-sponsored Chevrolet Monte Carlo of Dale Earnhardt Sr from the 1984 season. The Australian is a proper fanboy of the American driver.

The bet of a drive came from McLaren Racing boss Brown, who put Ricciardo under pressure lens. The Australian had to register a podium finish in 2021 and he would get to drive the #3 NASCAR machine – and he did better, he won the Italian GP.

With the US GP happening this time, it was logical for Brown to have the car on American soil and let Ricciardo lose around the Circuit of the Americas. The Australian was certainly chuffed with the chance and the subsequent drive as he was smiling all-through.

“I think everyone is glad that I wore a face helmet,” started Ricciardo to media including FormulaRapida.net. “It was sick, it was so much fun. It was just so different as well. I am definitely get my kicks out of it just because it is so raw and foreign. The noise, kind of smashing gears, the driving position – everything’s quite unique.

“And it’s Dale’s car – one of my all-time heroes, so that was surreal. It was good fun. And I think to do it here as well – if we had rented a private track somewhere in England, I don’t know, it wouldn’t have had the same effect. So I’m really grateful that Zak flew it out here,” summed up Ricciardo, who was then alerted about the Twitter message from Earnhardt Jr, who appreciated the Australian’s gesture.

“I’m happy for Daniel,” wrote Earnhardt Jr. “I’m also appreciative for how he celebrates my father. That makes a lot of dads family members and fans smile.” When Ricciardo told about this, he was pretty stoked and pumped up, as usual.

“I immediately got goosebumps when I was told about it,” said Ricciardo. “Honestly, if we’d been in a private setting and Dale Jr told me that one-on-one, I think I’d probably have cried a little bit. It was pretty crazy – like, happy-crazy – to be appreciated by that family in general. I’ve been such a fan. After Senior, I was a massive fan of Junior.

“I was watching every NASCAR race for years. I’d wake up and watch Junior try and win the 500 every February. It was pretty cool just to be recognised and appreciated for having support for his dad,” summed up Ricciardo, who went on to rely the first time the Australian ran a special helmet in dedication to Earnhardt Sr.

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Here’s Andreas Seidl on engine penalty situation

Here’s Zak Brown, Daniel Ricciardo on tattoo

L'entrada Ricciardo recalls his NASCAR moments; Brown adds on getting #3 car ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

After his famous bet against Cyril Abiteboul at Alpine/Renault, Ricciardo had another one with Brown after he joined McLaren this year. If the Australian scored a podium this year, he would get a chance to drive a NASCAR machine from the bosses’ collection.

Not just anyone but it is the #3 Dale Earnhardt Sr’s 1984 Wrangler Chevrolet Monte Carlo. With Lando Norris having already scored multiple podiums with McLaren, the pressure was on at Ricciardo and it ended up not just a Top 3 result, but a race win to win the bet.

Ricciardo gave McLaren their first win in a decade and had his first F1 victory with a different team, while also registered a podium finish with a third different team. The bet’s criteria was fulfilled and Brown was not to back out from that.

Considering the car is in the USA, Ricciardo will get to drive the #3 Chevrolet at the Circuit of the Americas during the US GP next weekend, after McLaren shared a small video of their bet and confirmed the test run for the Australian in the NASCAR machine.

Ricciardo’s NASCAR run at COTA comes after former Haas F1 duo Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean had their go in one of Gene’s car during the 2019 US GP, when they were part of the American outfit.

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The other bet of Brown is an ongoing process too, with IndyCar racer Patricio O’Ward at the McLaren Technology Center this week for his seat fit and simulator time to be ready for his F1 test in Abu Dhabi on December 14 – the first day of the post-season test.

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For Ricciardo, while one of his bets is coming to fruition, the other one remains to be fulfilled. At Alpine/Renault, he had a bet with Cyril Abiteboul to get a tattoo if the Australian scores a podium. Having done so, the Frenchman now has to get a tattoo.

But after Abiteboul left the team and F1, the bet is still to be fulfilled. The Frenchman emailed Ricciardo post his Monza victory, as the Australian noted about the tattoo still be done and the need to do it sooner than latter, as he doesn’t wish to drag it on.

“I had an overwhelming number of emails, WhatsApp messages, and all of it, so I did see an email from Abiteboul after my Monza win,” said Ricciardo to media including FormulaRapida.net. “There was the topic of tattoos, so I’m still very optimistic we could get this done before the year’s out. Otherwise it’s obviously going to drag on and become old news, so I’m determined to make it happen.”

Here’s McLaren F1 trio being bittersweet after Turkey

Here’s former Haas duo at COTA in a NASCAR

L'entrada Ricciardo gets his NASCAR drive at COTA; O’Wards gears up for F1 run ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Having taken part in the Arctic Lapland Rally in the last few years, Mercedes F1 driver Bottas will make his Race of Champions debut in the 2022’s Snow & Ice event to be held in Sweden, representing Finland in the ROC Nations Cup.

By 2022, Bottas will become a Alfa Romeo driver, having signed with the Swiss-Italian F1 outfit. The Finn joins the likes of Tom Kristensen, Johan Kristoffersson, Sebastien Loeb, Mattias Ekstrom, Travis Pastrana, Petter Solberg and Oliver Solberg.

He is the first F1 driver to be confirmed for the 2022 event, which will focus on sustainability and have electric cars. “I’m really looking forward to finally be able to compete in the Race Of Champions after watching the event on TV for many years,” said Bottas.

“The fact that this year’s event will be held on snow and ice makes it even more interesting. I’ve competed in the Arctic Rally a few times so hopefully that experience will help as we aim to beat the strong competition and especially our Nordic neighbours from Sweden and Norway to add to Finland’s many wins both in the individual ROC and the ROC Nations Cup,” summed up Bottas.

At the same time, ROC head Fredrik Johnsson added: “Valtteri has told us since several years that he would like to participate in the Race Of Champions and we are very happy that he is finally able to make his ROC debut in our first ROC World Final on Snow & Ice.

“In the latest Formula 1 race in Monza, Valtteri once again proved that he is one of the world’s fastest drivers. Finland has a proud history at the Race Of Champions and it will be fascinating to see how the longstanding sporting rivalry between Finland and host nation Sweden plays out. We always have a lot of very fast drivers at ROC, but the new parallel ice track on the frozen ocean will be a big x factor.”

Schedule for the 2022 event:

• Saturday 5th of February 2022, 12:00 – 15:00 CET: ROC Nations Cup (to Crown the World’s Fastest Nation)
• Sunday 6th February 2022, 12:00 – 15:00 CET: Race Of Champions (to Crown the “Champion of Champions”)

Here’s more on ROC Sweden

Here’s Frederic Vasseur on why Valtteri Bottas

L'entrada Bottas to make his Race of Champions debut in Sweden’s snow event ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

WEC:

The entry list for the 2021 WEC season was officially unveiled on Thursday with five entries in the new Hypercar class, with 11 in LMP2, four in LMGTE-Pro and 13 in the LMGTE-Am. One of missing teams, who announced its entry early on, is ByKolles in the Hypercar class.

Other than that, they have two cars from Toyota (#7 & #8), one for Alpine Elf Matmut (#36) and two for Glickenhaus Racing (#708 & #709). The sole driver for the French team is Andre Negaro, while the two US-entered teams are Gustavo Menezes & Ryan Briscoe.

Having already known some of the LMP2 entries, Team WRT is the team whose name features on the entry list with the sole driver being Robin Frijns in the #31 Oreca 07. The sole Ligier entrant is #44 ARC Bratislava, with Miroslav Konopka as its driver.

With the new ruling as per the WEC regulations, there are five Pro/Am entries in the LMP2 class, they are #20 High Class Racing, #21 DragonSpeed USA, #29 Racing Team Nederland, #44 ARC Bratislava and #70 Real Team Racing.

Moving on to the LMGTE Pro class, there are just four cars with two of AF Corse’s Ferrari and two from Porsche, after the departure of BMW and Aston Martin. The latter features in the LMGTE Am class, though, with three cars – one under its own name.

The rest of the Am field has five cars each from Porsche and Ferrari. Like the all-female team in LMP2, the Am class will have its own with #85 entry of Iron Lynx being fronted by Rahel Frey, Manuela Gostner and Michelle Gatting, driving a Ferrari 488 GTE EVO.

Pierre Fillon, President of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest, said: “Hypercar marks a turning point for endurance racing. This new top class is the dawn of a bright future for the discipline with Toyota, Glickenhaus and Alpine ready to engage in thrilling battles on the track. Despite today’s adverse conditions, the grid remains impressive, and our championship as popular as ever.

“To the delight of the FIA and the ACO, who have been encouraging women to join the fray, the field comprises two all-women teams. A first! See you in a few weeks’ time for the start of what promises to be a sensational season.” At the same time, Richard Mille, President of the FIA Endurance Commission, stated:

“I’m pleased looking at this season’s entry list. The FIA WEC managed to attract a strong and diverse grid, which is something particularly impressive in the wake of the current health and economic climate. There will surely be numerous fascinating storylines over the course of the season. We’ll witness a milestone in the history of endurance racing with the debut of the world’s first Le Mans Hypercar.

“There are several strong line ups entered in LMP2 and LMGTE machinery and we can expect fierce competition in these categories. It’s also great to see the two all-female lineups, who competed at Le Mans last year, stepping up to the FIA WEC full time.” And finally, Frederic Lequien, CEO of the FIA World Endurance Championship, added:

“There is no doubt that the future of endurance racing looks very bright and this is perfectly demonstrated by the strength and variety of teams on the entry list. Not only do we have a brand-new Hypercar category which is set to grow even bigger from next year, but it’s extremely encouraging to see record numbers of entrants in the LMP2 and LMGTE Am classes. To have six females join the grid also highlights the diversity in our championship and endurance racing as a whole. The 2021 WEC season will definitely be one to watch.”

Here’s the PDF of the 2021 WEC entry list: https://storage.googleapis.com/fiawec-prod/assets/ressources/TV_DISTRIBUTION/2021_FIA%20WEC%20Entry%20List.pdf

Race of Champions:

With a virtual event in 2020 and none in 2021, Race of Champions will return to on-track action in January 2022, with its first-ever snow-laden event in Sweden on the frozen Baltic Sea at Pite Havsbad, which is about 60 km from the Arctic Circle.

The track, in fact, will remain open until end of each winter season for unique ROC Driving experiences for both corporate and private clients. The 2022, event, though will feature electric cars, as ROC aims to host a carbon-neutral championship.

“After organizing the Race Of Champions in some of the most prestigious venues like the Bird’s Nest Olympic Stadium in Beijing, Stade de France in Paris, Wembley Stadium and London’s Olympic Stadium, it is a huge honour to be able to bring our event to my home country Sweden for the first time,” said Race Of Champions President and co-founder, Fredrik Johnsson.

“At ROC we are always looking for ways to put new exciting tests in front of some of the world’s top race drivers. In the past, that might have been a very tight track inside a stadium, but this time we will be able to build a longer, wider more spectacular track. The event will be unlike anything we are used to seeing and be one of the ultimate tests of a driver’s car control.

“After the event we will keep the Race Of Champions track open until end of each winter season for unique ROC Driving experiences for both corporate and private clients developed in a long-term partnership with Pite Havsbad Group.” At the same time, Governer of Norrbotten, Bjorn O Nilsson, added: “Race Of Champions at Pite Havsbad will be the largest event that has been held in Norrbotten and it is very gratifying that it brings many new jobs in the long term.”

The full line-up will be announced in the lead-up to the event. Sweden’s Johan Kristoffersson, though, had the chance to drive the first-ever ROC Snow & Ice track. “It is so much fun driving around this ROC track, sliding the car through the wide corners. It will be a true challenge but I think all the drivers will love it,” he said.

“Participating in Race Of Champions in Mexico in 2019 was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had and to now be able to do it here in my home country is going to be even more special.” On the use of electric cars and a carbon neutral event, ROC is trying to lure manufacturers, who wish to showcase their EV tech in sub-zero conditions.

“It is important that every motorsports series and event continue to look for ways to become environmentally responsible,” said Johnsson. “We expect ROC to be a carbon-neutral race in 2022 and are working toward that important milestone.”

“Sustainable development and renewable energy has been a long term priority for Norrbotten since over 10 years. Limiting our carbon footprint is very important to us and at Pite Havsbad we’re proud to use sustainable energy for up to 95% of your heat consumption,” said Tobias Lindfors owner of Pite Havsbad Group.

Here’s last news of WEC

L'entrada WEC reveals ’21 entry list, as ROC heads to Sweden for Arctic event in ’22 ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

This is the second instance for Hamilton to be part of the TIME 100 Most Influential People as the last time he did so was in 2016, when named by Mario Andretti. This time, it is NASCAR racer Wallace, who has penned down some wise words for the Brit.

“Lewis Hamilton is someone I’ve idolized,” wrote Wallace. “He’s poised to win his seventh Formula One championship this season, tying Michael Schumacher’s record. Seven is a magic number in racing. Dale Earnhardt Sr., Jimmie Johnson and Richard Petty have each won seven NASCAR season titles.

“Lewis, 35, is young enough to keep winning championships and setting new all-time records. I’m the only Black driver in NASCAR’s top level. So Lewis’ example—as the lone Black F1 driver—is particularly meaningful for me. He shows we’re out there doing it. To see him conquering the track damn near every weekend, it motivates me to try to do the same.

“His activism has also moved the world. Lewis has brought international attention to the Black Lives Matter movement, through his advocacy on social media and at F1 events. Lewis’ mental preparation, his aura, his ability to capitalize on every opportunity to use his platform to drive out racism are more than just a model for race-car drivers and other athletes. He’s an inspiration for everyone.”

Hamilton is named under ‘Titans’, whereas the last time it was under ‘Icons’. The only other F1 racer to feature on TIME 100 Most Influential People list is Michael Schumacher – whose seven titles record the Brit will equal in 2020 (and probably pass too, in time to come).

The German was named by Nick Mason under ‘Heroes & Icons’ then. Apart from the racers, the current Mercedes F1 technical chief James Allison also found himself part of the list in the past, as did Daimler head Dieter Zetsche and Ferrari boss Sergio Marchionne.

Here’s the full 2020 list: https://time.com/collection/100-most-influential-people-2020/

Here’s F1 2020 stats and information so far: https://formularapida.net/f1-key-statistics-and-information-from-2020-season-so-far/

Here’s F1 drivers talking about if two-stops get mandated

Here’s vote on which driver impressed so far

L'entrada Hamilton named by Wallace in TIME 100 Most Influential People of 2020 ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Johnson announced the partnership with CGR for 2021 and 2022 IndyCar seasons, where the NASCAR champion will be looking to compete at all the road and street courses. As known, the American will not be racing at any of the ovals rounds.

The move comes after Johnson tested with CGR earlier this year in July and fell in love with the whole concept. “When I tested Chip’s Indy car earlier in the year, it only lit the fire more,” he said. “I found that I wanted to do it more than ever before.

“Scott [Dixon] was just incredible to work with and in a short time I found out very quickly why Chip and his teams have won 12 INDYCAR Championships. As part of a natural progression, I wanted to publicly show the alignment with Chip Ganassi Racing to kick the sponsorship program into high gear.

“The goal is to run the full road and street program and today is a very important first step in accomplishing that goal.” At the same time, team owner Chip Ganassi stated: “It is always difficult to find great drivers but for them to be great guys too makes it even that much more challenging.

“To pair Jimmie with the likes of Scott Dixon is quite an opportunity. They are truly in rarified air and I think everyone knows by now that ‘I like winners’. The goal right now is for us to run Jimmie in an Indy car for at least the next couple of seasons, and we want to show people we’re serious about the program.

“We felt it was important to get the partnership done and start putting the financial building blocks in place to make this a reality. Jimmie’s record speaks for itself and we feel a championship-level driver of his caliber can only make our team better.”

For now, it is unknown if CGR will drop any of its current IndyCar driver to place Johnson or if they will add another car for the American. Apart from Dixon, they have Swedes Marcus Ericsson and Felix Rosenqvist – all of whom are full-time drivers.

Here’s info on Mid-Ohio confirmation

Here’s our exclusive interview with DCR IndyCar driver Alex Palou

Here’s Jimmie Johnson trying McLaren F1 car

L'entrada NASCAR champ Jimmie Johnson commits to IndyCar with Chip Ganassi ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

A paradigm for the year 2020, the debut season of DCR w/ Team Goh IndyCar driver Palou has been at times frustrating, at times disappointing, and on many occasions, extraordinarily promising as the rookie comes to terms with the series.

An impressive start to the year at Texas in difficult circumstances met its end when fellow debutant ECR’s Rinus Veekay, collected Palou early on in the race, it being one that he methodically and effectively prepared for.

This race was followed up by the IMS road course round on July 4th, during which the 23-year-old struggled to get to grips with the track, as limited track time made the challenge of finding a good car balance yet more challenging, and Palou’s inexperience became exposed, understandably hindering his chances of achieving notable success.

Then came the breakout weekend for Palou – the round at which he could finally announce himself and DCR as a threat in IndyCar: the Road America doubleheader. The first race of the two saw him finish on the podium, and in the second race at the iconic Elkhart lake race track, the former Super Formula driver was tantalizingly close to a top five finish, as he came home in seventh. Here, his championship efforts started to gain traction.

However, a lackluster return to oval racing at Iowa, followed by a rare mistake in the form of a crash at the Indy500 slowed his roll, and upon the completion of the Gateway doubleheader, the Spaniard sits 16th in the championship, 21 points off the leading rookie, Veekay.

But after some worse-off rounds, Palou is laying off the championship fight, rookie of the year or otherwise, as he told FormulaRapida.net in an exclusive interview. “Obviously, you want to finish first of the rookies, but being honest, I’m not really looking a lot at the championship, just because we’ve only had one really good race,” he said.

“The rest of them, they were really bad for us, or something happened like at Indy, where I was going for a really good result, and suddenly, I crashed.” Palou did overtake fellow rookie Oliver Askew of Arrow McLaren SP in the championship standings, but this, he tells us, is a feat of little significance given the circumstances.

“And yeah, we overtook Oliver, but we are [only] so close because we both are driving really bad races. As soon as someone has a good race, they’ll jump [up in the points], just as Rinus did. He had a really good weekend, and he was really far out from us, but now it’s like 20 points or 30 points from us, so we’re not looking at the championship.

“Obviously I want to finish P1 in the rookies [standings], and it would be nice if we could finish in the top ten [overall]. I think it’s still doable, and I think from P5 to P15 or P20 in the championship I really feel is close. As soon as we win one race, we’ll be able to be up there,” Palou shared.

The remainder of the post-Gateway Q&A can be seen below:

Q: How did the car feel? Was the set-up in a good place?

Palou: “…I think we were starting the sixth car [for our Quali lap, we were far in the back on points, and the track was evolving a lot — it got faster, so our starting position was not good. That made our race really difficult. The potential was there, the performance was there, and we got the fastest lap at the end of the race, which is super cool, but it’s a shame because the car was capable of doing a bit more, and I needed those points. [I’m] still leaning about ovals, the car felt really good, and that’s a positive.”

Q: So you were wishing for more?

Palou: “Of course – especially coming after Indianapolis, where we were battling at the front with the big guys. We wanted to have at least a top five, or do both races in the top 10. I think that’s also what we were hoping for at Iowa, but the strategy didn’t go our way. Here it was so difficult to pass. I think only 2 or 3 drivers got their strategies really right in order to overtake. We were hoping for at least two top 10s, and we didn’t get there so it’s a bit of a shame – a poor weekend.”

Q: Moving on, heading into next year, you’ll only have raced at 7 of the 16 venues that IndyCar visits annually. In essence, you’ll be re-living a rookie season. Are you excited for that or perhaps dreading it?

Palou: “Obviously now that I’m getting up to speed, it’s true that we’re only getting six or seven race tracks, and next year I’ll still have to learn maybe 10 more race tracks. It’s crazy. But yeah, I think we are up to speed on ovals now, I’m feeling confident [there], we are up to speed on road courses, and I think road courses are something that are quite easy, and then the big challenge is street courses, where you really need the experience of the year prior to really try and fight for the race win. [But] still, I think this year has pushed me a lot, trying to get up to speed really early, and maybe that will benefit [me] in the future.”

Q: What aspects of your rookie year have you enjoyed the most thus far? The high speeds of ovals, or as you say, the familiarity of road courses?

Palou: “[I was] obviously a bit better on road courses, which was Indy, when I wasn’t ready, or had the speed to win races, so yeah I enjoyed it a lot. Indianapolis, it’s amazing. I really love that place, I want to get there again. And then on short ovals, it’s been really fun. Iowa was really good, Gateway was a bit boring to race, just because there was no way to overtake, but still, I loved the feeling of it.”

Q: As you say, we saw very little overtaking. Would you say that was down to the aeroscreen and the aerodynamics of the cars, or the track surface of Gateway and the day-time temperature?

Palou: “It was a mix of a lot of things. First of all, you’ve got the aeroscreen, which doesn’t help mechanically, or aerodynamically. We have less grip than last year, just because of the aeroscreen. Then, we are [also] racing during the day, [while] last year [the race was] during the night, which takes away some grip level. I don’t know why, but this year – and it was the same at Texas – they put rubber [down] for the Nascar guys on the second land, or for another category, and that made it made it really difficult for us to go up to the second lane. It was a mix of many things that made overtaking almost impossible.”

Q: Indy road course double header is coming up next. What can be expected of you there?

Palou: “Indy road course – I’m looking forward [to it], to be honest. It’s the only place I’ve been to before. For sure that’s going to be a plus for me, because I won’t be losing time to learn a new track. Our performance was not good enough in the first race, but I’m sure we’ll get a really good car. As we saw at Road America, as soon as we get some track time, we are able to develop our car and be faster.”

Here’s the report on Gateway IndyCar Race 2

Here’s the report on IndyCar Race 1 at Gateway

L'entrada Palou Q&A: Rookie title aspirations, dissatisfaction with results & more ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

After recently being thrust into the spotlight thanks in part to the Netflix documentary ‘Uppity’, Ribbs was the guest on Episode 95 of the F1 Beyond the Grid podcast, in which he discussed his career, and diversity in motorsport.

• Ribbs opened discussions by talking about his whereabouts, specifically in relation to the world-famous COTA track.
• He then immediately dove into conversation with regards to his F1 test with Brabham, and his greater foray into racing in Europe – something he would have continued had the money not dried up.
• Ribbs was also quick to begin discussing Bernie Ecclestone, and how he paved the way for more diversity within F1, before switching back to his aforementioned test.
• The American shared stories from the test about the drivers that surrounded him for this session, adding that the brakes were hard to adjust to in a car that was ‘by far’ the fastest he has ever driven.
• Winding back the clock, Ribbs also discussed his racing roots, all the way back to his karting, and his very beginnings in England – a country that he still loves.
• He also mentioned that his talent was more recognized in Europe than it ever was in America, where he feels he was treated significantly worse among the racing fraternity.
• Ribbs then addressed the death threats, criticism, and insults he received, particularly in that famous Talladega incident, from which his nickname ‘Uppity’ originated.
• After this, Ribbs told of the influence his grandfather had over his, before he discussed his relationship with his teammate of old from Trans Am, David Hobbs, as well as his relations with other teammates.
• Keeping on the theme of relationships, Ribbs covered his association with Muhammed Ali, and how this matured over the years – similarly, he discussed his relationship with Don King.
• He further discussed the role his race played in his career, and how it limited him drastically – he also covered how other series’ have followed the actions of F1.
• On this front, Ribbs credited Lewis Hamilton with bringing change within motorsport, before cheekily suggesting that – back in his day – he dealt with racism ‘with my fists’, and joking that Ecclestone deserves statues all over London for having a child at his old age.

Due to FOM’s restrictions, we cannot use the podcast but we have the link where you can find it: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hdWRpb2Jvb20uY29tL2NoYW5uZWxzLzQ5NjQzMzkucnNz/episode/dGFnOmF1ZGlvYm9vbS5jb20sMjAyMC0wNy0xNDovcG9zdHMvNzYzMjI3Mw?hl=en-IN&ved=2ahUKEwjH4bfbgtLqAhWR8HMBHaS4D7YQieUEegQIAxAE&ep=6

Here’s the last episode of F1 Nation

Here’s the last F1 Beyond The Grid podcast with Pat Symonds

L'entrada Podcast: Ribbs talks career, F1 test, Hamilton/Ecclestone & more ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

In response to the spread of the coronavirus in the United States of America, the ‘Month of May’ at Indianapolis Motor Speedway – in which the IndyCar GP and Indy500 take place – has been moved to a later, summertime date.

The IndyCar GP will take place on July 4 – a day which will also see NASCAR run their race at IMS, as part of a historic double-header which is the first of its kind. Meanwhile, the infamous Indy500 will run on August 23, almost exactly three months after May 23.

The practice sessions for the Indy500 will start on August 12-13, which will lead into Fast Friday on the 14th, and qualifications on 15-16. After this, there will be the hot pit stop practices on 20th with the Indy Lights Freedom 100 race on 21st.

It also see the Indy500 pit stop challenge on the same date along with the practice session. Saturday’s festivities remain unchanged, barring the rather obvious modification to the date, with the finale on August 23 at the famous Indianapolis circuit.

Owner of the Brickyard, and owner of the IndyCar series, Roger Penske, made it clear that he feels sorry for having to take this action, but the motorsports mogul also said that the move was necessary as the world reels under the virus outbreak.

“The Month of May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is my favorite time of year, and like our fans, I am disappointed that we have had to reschedule the Indianapolis 500,” said Penske. “However, the health and safety of our event participants and spectators is our top priority, and we believe that postponing the event is the responsible decision with the conditions and restrictions we are facing.

“We will continue to focus on ways we can enhance the customer experience in the months ahead, and I’m confident we will welcome fans with a transformed facility and a global spectacle when we run the world’s greatest race.”

At the same time, President and CEO of Penske Entertainment Mark Miles, stated: “Memorial Day weekend has always provided Indianapolis 500 fans an opportunity to honor the men and women who have fought and sacrificed for our nation’s freedom.

“This August, we’ll also have a unique and powerful opportunity to honor the contributions and heroism of the doctors, nurses, first responders and National Guard members serving on the front lines of the fight against COVID-19.

“We’re grateful for the patience of our fans as we’ve navigated this situation, and we extend our thanks to NBC for its terrific partnership and diligent work to maximize broadcast coverage with this new schedule.”

Meanwhile, with regards to the NASCAR/IndyCar double-header, IMS president J. Douglas Boles added: “For very good reason, this historic pairing of NASCAR and IndyCar will be circled on the calendar of every motorsports fan.

“We appreciate our friends at NASCAR for their flexibility and support in this matter and will work with them on a memorable, exciting weekend of racing action.” The change will see more shuffles on the IndyCar calendar as Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio moves to August 9 and the race at Gateway on August 30. St. Pete is back as the 2020 finale.

Here’s the revised schedule presented by IndyCar – for now:

The IndyCar release also added more info on concert and health advisory:

“All concerts scheduled for the original Race Weekend in May have been canceled. This includes REO Speedwagon and Styx on Friday, May 22, Luke Bryan on Saturday, May 23 and Martin Garrix on Sunday, May 24.

“This decision was made to provide the maximum flexibility possible to complete the Indianapolis 500 by Sunday, Aug. 23 and provide room for any contingency plans necessary. IMS appreciates the understanding of fans and regrets that the COVID-19 situation has caused the cancellation of these events.

“Fans who made concert-specific purchases will be able to access a credit for any IMS event, including the Indy 500, or choose to receive a refund. IMS concert customers will receive further communication on how to exercise their ticketing options.”

Enhanced Health and Safety Measures at IMS

“IMS and INDYCAR officials will continue to work closely with local, state and federal health representatives to ensure a safe and healthy experience for spectators. Enhanced measures that will be in place once activity resumes at IMS include:

· Increasing housekeeping staff at the track to elevate frequency of cleaning and disinfecting high-touch surfaces

· Using cleaning products that meet current EPA and CDC guidelines for registered disinfectants to be used against COVID-19

· Educating all employees on CDC prevention guidance, including proper handwashing technique and requesting that all vendors communicate strict hygiene protocol to staff

· Increasing public hand-sanitizing stations in high-traffic areas, containing sanitizer that meets or exceeds the CDC standard for alcohol content

· Reducing required hand-to-hand interactions between customers and staff at concession areas and other key IMS locations.”

Here’s summary of Netflix feature Uppity on Willy T Ribbs

Here’s Fernando Alonso talking about more races in the series

Here’s news on IndyCar races cancellation due to COVID-19

The story was edited by Darshan Chokhani

L'entrada IndyCar to race with NASCAR as Indy500 postponed to August ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Part of a slew of motorsport-related documentaries and films released lately – particularly by Netflix – a documentary named ‘Uppity: The Willy T. Ribbs Story’ has come out, which, as the title suggests, tells the tale of the first black driver to race in the Indy500.

The documentary – directed by Adam Carolla, Nate Adams, and Mike Adams – follows Ribbs from his rebellious childhood in which he would steal his parents’ Ford Cortina, through his journey in Formula Ford in Britain, his struggle to find his feet in America, and his fight against racism in NASCAR.

From there, Ribbs himself, as well as other cast members, including Marshall Pruett, Bernie Ecclestone, Chris Miles, Wally Dallenbach, Al Unser Jr, David Hobbs, Robby Unser, Bobby Unser, Ian Brown, Pat McFall, Paul Riley, Donald Davidson, Derrick Walker, and Tommy Kendall all narrate the story of his career in Trans Am, and ultimately IndyCar.

Through it all, Ribbs faced discrimination – even several years after abolition of black slavery –  and even several forms of sabotage, some performance-based, and others life-threatening – but all from members of Ribbs’ very own team.

The film was produced by Chassy media, and has a run-time of 109 minutes. It is available on Netflix as the online streaming service pump up motorsport-related stories. Here’s a trailer of Uppity – we are sharing a link as the video is not showing up:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKwfDjfO9Pw&feature=emb_title

Here’s the link where you can watch the documentary:

https://www.netflix.com/title/81232163

Here’s news on Amazon Prime show on Fernando Alonso

Here’s a Netflix documentary on Juan Manuel Fangio

Here’s a Netflix video featuring Haas F1 drivers

Here’s episode-by-episode summary of Netflix DTS S2

L'entrada Video: Netflix releases feature ‘Uppity’ on first black driver in Indy500 ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Villeneuve made his Euro NASCAR debut in 2019, where he competed in the Elite 1 category for Go Fas Racing in a Chevrolet, finishing eighth in the standings with multiple podium finishes. The Canadian will return for his second season in 2020.

But this time, Villeneuve will race for his own FEED Racing team in PRO class, which he started with his partner Lemarie, who will also be racing. The duo started the FEED Racing academy to help young racers to achieve their dream of becoming a professional racer.

Keeping that in mind, they will also field 17-year-old Belgian Simon Pilate in the #6 car in the NASCAR 2 category, which he will share with Lemarie. At the same time, Villeneuve will be driving the #5 car. The release hasn’t confirmed the car they will use.

“This is a project aimed at giving young talents the opportunity to grow and become professionals in racing,” said Villeneuve. “I always loved this kind of cars and races and after gaining some valuable experience last year in NWES, we are ready to take the next step.

“With Patrick we know each other since we were eight years old, he was the test driver at BAR in F1 and we founded the FEED Racing academy together, so this is a natural step forward. The Euro NASCAR car is perfect to learn the basics of driving a race car, it is bold and aggressive, it has no electronic aids and plenty of horsepower and since two drivers share the car, we will be able to do a proficient work together with our young drivers.

“The NASCAR Whelen Euro Series can open a very interesting development path for them and in the next couple of months we’ll evaluate the opportunity to expand to three or four cars, fielding more top drivers and more up-and-coming talents. Progressing will be the key element.

“Personally I’ll want to do better than last year and that logically includes fighting for the NWES championship and bring home some wins. The same will be for all our drivers, we’ll want the EuroNASCAR PRO drivers to be able to compete at the front and the EuroNASCAR 2 drivers to show they can step up to the top championship in 2021.”

At the same time, Lemarie added: “I really look forward to drive a Euro NASCAR car! I’m a close friend with Jacques Villeneuve since a very long time and last year he was so enthusiastic about the NWES car and the championship and he told me this would be the perfect occasion to race together. So here we are, I’ll come back after 15 years.

“I wasn’t sure if I wanted to return behind the wheel but I went to Zolder for the NWES Finals, I saw the car and the championship and I was immediately very excited about this opportunity. I’m super happy to be Jacques’ teammate and I really want to enjoy the races.

“The goals of the entire FEED Racing project is to help young talents and we think that the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series can be a very good opportunity for them. The car is challenging to drive and definitely a great school and they can share the car with us, so they can learn how to work and have a good exposure for their sponsors. We hope it can open many doors for them.”

Here’s Jacques Villeneuve with his podium finish in 2019

L'entrada Villeneuve stays in Euro NASCAR, to race for his own team with Lemarie ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Adaptability is a key trait of a racing driver, as conditions and other factors change throughout a race, and in the eyes of NASCAR driver Stewart, it’s this aspect in which his F1 counterparts excel after seeing them in close quarters.

Stewart was impressed by the pace shown by the Haas F1 drivers Grosjean and Magnussen in the #14 Stewart-Haas Racing’s NASCAR stock car during the American team’s demonstration at COTA, ahead of the US GP weekend, with no prior testing.

All three drivers got behind the wheel with Stewart taking the two F1 drivers for laps to explain the nuances, before Grosjean and Magnussen went out on their own. The Frenchman also performed donuts on the main straight post his run.

“The most fun part of seeing those guys run is that it really shows you guys and everybody in the world why they are in F1 cars, and it is a track they are familiar with obviously and to put them in a car that is completely unfamiliar and to go and run two or three laps and run the speeds they are in, it is really impressive,” said Stewart to the media.

“I was just trying to tell them of the little things that I know and felt during the runs I had that could shorten the learning curve, because they have a limited amount of time that they can drive the car so just telling them things to help them get through some of the learning curve of it.

“We had Kevin in our sprint car last year which went on the Netflix specials and within four runs of the car, he ran 40 laps, and he was within four tenths of what I ran in the car, so for race car drivers, it doesn’t matter what race car driver they are in the world or what race car they drive.

“If they oversteer or understeer or four wheel drift, every race car does those three things, it is just a matter of how do you learn them and good race car drivers figure that out really quickly. Like I said, race car drivers are race car drivers no matter what cars they run.

“What separates the good ones from the great ones, the great ones learn how to adapt to a different feel. They don’t get stuck in a feel for a race car, they know how to adapt and read what that the race car is wanting and learn to change their driving style to accommodate it. So there is plenty of race car drivers that can do that.”

Summing up his experience, Grosjean added: “It was pretty good. Having Tony Stewart taking you for a ride, and then having Kevin and myself going in we really enjoyed ourselves. Obviously it’s a very different story and you had about two hundred metres of braking zones but there is some good overtaking because braking is very long.”

Kevin’s been talking @TonyStewart around a lap of @COTA

Not long until they’ll be lapping in the @StewartHaasRcng NASCAR Cup Car!#HaasF1 #USGP pic.twitter.com/FJHlmbqXAH

— Haas F1 Team (@HaasF1Team) October 31, 2019

https://twitter.com/HaasF1Team/status/1189952990674862089?s=20

https://twitter.com/HaasF1Team/status/1189962133464899586?s=20

https://twitter.com/HaasF1Team/status/1192456677527822337?s=20

https://twitter.com/HaasF1Team/status/1189975013144907776?s=20

Here’s the pre-run release

The story was written by Duncan Leahy and edited by Darshan Chokhani

L'entrada Grosjean/Magnussen impresses Stewart by quick adaptability in NASCAR ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.