F3:

The majority of the 27 drivers set to contest the FIA Formula 3 World Cup – and write their names in Macau Grand Prix history – have been revealed. Representing 20 countries and possessing talent and potential in abundance, the drivers will aim to follow in the wheel tracks of a host of motor sport greats who used the legendary street race as a platform to progress up the ranks.

They include Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher, David Coulthard, Takuma Sato, Felix Rosenqvist and António Félix da Costa. Meanwhile, Liam Lawson, Logan Sargeant and Yuki Tsunoda, who have all raced in the FIA Formula One World Championship this season, took part in the last FIA Formula 3 World Cup to be held in 2019.

Nine teams have entered the 2023 FIA Formula 3 World Cup, which co-headlines the 70th Macau Grand Prix event along with the FIA GT World Cup. They will each field three drivers in identical Mecachrome-powered Dallara cars equipped with tyres from official supplier Pirelli. The star-studded list of drivers includes Richard Verschoor, the winner of the 2019 FIA Formula 3 World Cup, and Dan Ticktum, who triumphed in Macau in 2017 and 2018.

Paul Aron, third in the 2023 FIA Formula 3 Championship standings, and Gabriele Mini, who showed his street-racing prowess by winning the FIA Formula 3 Championship Monaco Feature Race earlier this season, are also entered. Other standout names include Red Bull Junior Team drivers Zane Maloney, an FIA Formula 2 podium finisher this season, and Iasck Hadjar, who won the FIA Formula 2 Sprint Race at Circuit Zandvoort in August.

Of the drivers confirmed so far, only Ticktum, Verschoor and Sophia Floersch have raced in the FIA Formula 3 World Cup at Macau, which points to a wide-open battle for victory when the event takes place from November 16-19. Trident Motorsport, which guided Gabriele Bortoleto to the FIA Formula 3 title this season, can count on Czech Roman Staněk, who, like Dutch team-mate Richard Verschoor, steps back from FIA Formula 2 for what will be his first Macau appearance. American Ugo Ugochukwu, a McLaren Driver Development programme member and a former European karting champion, will also fly the Trident flag.

Jenzer Motorsport hands FIA Formula 3 World Cup debuts to New York-born ex-sim racer Maxwell Esterson, Austrian teenager Charlie Wurz, son of ex-Formula One driver Alex, and Peruvian Matias Zagazeta, a regular in FIA Formula Regional events. Estonian Paul Aron, Swede Dino Beganovic and Italian Gabriele Mini form Prema Racing’s challenge, with the three-time FIA Formula 3 World Cup-winning team bringing the famous Theodore name back to the event under the SJM Theodore Prema Racing banner.

Hitech Pulse-Eight can count on its FIA Formula 3 Championship driver Luke Browning and its French FIA Formula 2 racer Isack Hadjar for Macau success. The team’s third driver will be revealed in due course. Having placed fifth in the 2023 FIA Formula 3 Championship standings, Spain’s Josep María Martí continues his alliance with Campos Racing. Sebastien Montoya, whose father Juan Pablo raced at Macau on his path to the FIA Formula One World Championship, joins Campos for his first Macau start, along with Danish driver Oliver Goethe, eighth in this year’s FIA Formula 3 standings.

Mexican Noel León, the Euroformula Open champion of 2023, will make his FIA Formula 3 World Cup debut with Van Amersfoort Racing, which also features Germany’s Sophia Floersch and Australian Tommy Smith in its ranks. ART Grand Prix’s Macau challenge features Grégoire Saucy, Switzerland’s FIA Formula Regional European Championship winner from 2021, and Australian Christian Mansell, who brings experience from a season in FIA Formula 3 to Macau. Bulgarian 16-year-old Nikola Tsolov completes the ART line-up.

Rodin Carlin, which claimed its first of three FIA Formula 3 World Cup victories with Takuma Sato in 2001, has entered Barbadian Zane Moloney, plus double Macau winner Dan Ticktum from Great Britain. The team’s third driver is to be announced. MP Motorsport, which is bidding for a second FIA Formula 3 World Cup victory in succession, has so far entered its Argentine FIA Formula 3 Championship star Franco Colapinto, who finished fourth in the final table in 2023, plus Mari Boya. The Spaniard raced for the Dutch squad in FIA Formula 3 this season, while an additional driver will be added to the MP Motorsport line-up.

The FIA Formula 3 World Cup is returning to Macau after a break of four years through the joint efforts of the FIA, Macau’s FIA member club, Automobile General Association Macao-China (AAMC), and the Macau Grand Prix Organising Committee. Using the iconic 6.120-kilometre Guia Circuit, the event features two Free Practice sessions, two Qualifying sessions, a 10-lap Qualification Race, plus the 15-lap finale, which awards the prestigious FIA Formula 3 World Cup title.

Here’s full entry list: https://www.fia.com/sites/default/files/2023_fia_f3_world_cup_-_official_entry_list.pdf

Here’s F4 entry list:

GT:

This year marks the return of FIA racing to the streets of Macau for the first time since 2019 and, therefore, the first edition of the FIA GT World Cup in four years. All five winners of the event held between 2015 and 2019 are due to battle for their second FIA GT World Cup glory, along with a star-studded line-up of some of the world’s best closed-roof specialists, each seeking to triumph on the 6.120-kilometre circuit.

This year’s edition of the FIA GT World Cup will host a grid of 21 cars, with machinery from five different manufacturers and a total of 12 Platinum-ranked drivers, making it arguably the strongest field since the event first ran in 2015. Headlining the entry list and Mercedes-Benz’s fleet of AMG GT3s is the most recent FIA GT World Cup winner, Raffaele Marciello. The 28-year-old is one of the most decorated and formidable GT3 racers of his era, who – in addition to his 2019 Macau triumph – won two GT World Challenge Europe crowns, as well as Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup and ADAC GT Masters titles.

On top of this, prior to making GT racing the focus of his career, Marciello also clinched the FIA Formula 3 European Championship in 2013. Seeking his second triumph on the streets of Macau, and first with a roof over his head, will be Mercedes’ GT regular, and 2011 Formula 3 winner, Daniel Juncadella. Another vastly experienced racer from Mercedes’ stable who should be in the mix is the winner of the inaugural FIA GT World Cup, Maro Engel, whose relationship with the three-pointed star dates back to his Formula 3 stint in the mid-2000s and includes spells in some of the world’s most competitive closed-roof series such as DTM and Australia’s Supercars Championship.

Jules Gounon will be making his Macau debut, but the Andorra-based Frenchman is a force to be reckoned with behind the wheel of a GT car. His resume includes a hat-trick of Bathurst 12 Hours victories, an ADAC GT Masters title as well as two GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup titles in a row. Seeking its revenge in Macau is BMW, with a pair of M3 GT3s. One car will be operated by Rowe Racing and the other by Team WRT. Both BMW and WRT have been victorious in Macau in the past, but on different occasions.

BMW won in 2018 with Augusto Farfus, while Team WRT triumphed in the memorable 2016 edition but running an Audi and with current Porsche racer Laurens Vanhtoor behind the wheel. The Brazilian was triumphant in the 2018 FIA GT World Cup, taking a win for BMW in a Schnitzer Motorsport-operated M6 GT3. The 2022 DTM champion Sheldon van der Linde will be making his Macau debut driving the Team WRT entry.

Audi’s hopes of winning its second FIA GT World Cup will rest on start driver Eduardo Mortara. The 36-year-old is considered a Macau specialist, having won at the Guia Circuit an impressive seven times, taking back-to-back victories in Formula 3 in 2009 and ’10, and winning the 2017 FIA GT World Cup for Mercedes. He also scored a hat-trick of GT Cup victories from 2011 to 2013 for Audi, before the event earned FIA World Cup status, and won in the Audi Sport R8 LMS Cup support race. Now back with Audi, the Swiss racer will be seeking yet another Macau triumph.

Porsche is set to challenge for its maiden FIA GT World Cup victory with a fleet of seven cars. The manufacturer’s challenge will be headlined by a pair of its FIA World Endurance Championship Hypercar class star drivers, 2016 FIA GT World Cup winner Laurens Vanthoor, as well as FIA WEC LMGTE Pro champion and 24 Hours of Le Mans class winner Kévin Estre.

Another WEC Hypercar regular, although representing Cadillac in the series, who is set to drive a Porsche in Macau is Earl Bamber. The two-time Le Mans winner will be making his fifth FIA GT World Cup appearance for Porsche, on this occasion driving a car operated by his eponymous Earl Bamber Motorsport outfit, although entered under a D2 Racing Team banner. The New Zealander came third in 2019 but has tasted Macau victory having won a Porsche Carrera Cup Asia race back in 2013, passing rally legend Sébastien Loeb on his way to win.

Porsche’s line-up will be completed by FIA WEC regular and Nürburgring 24 Hours winner Matteo Cairoli as well as Gold-ranked drivers Thomas Preining (this year’s DTM champion, 2018 Porsche Carrera Cup Germany title winner) and Alessio Picariello (European Le Mans Series GTE class title winner and FIA WEC regular), with the latter of the two making his second FIA GT World Cup outing, having competed in a Mercedes in 2019.

Ferrari will challenge for victory with its new 296 GT3, aiming for the first FIA GT World Cup triumph for a non-German manufacturer. The prancing horse’s effort will be led by its stalwart factory driver and two-time Le Mans class winner Daniel Serra, whose career highlights also include a hat-trick of titles in his domestic, but very competitive, Stock Car Brasil series.

The FIA GT World Cup takes place from November 16-19 with two 30-minute practice sessions followed by a single qualifying session of the same duration. Racing action will be held across two heats, with a 12-lap qualifying race followed by a 16-lap title-deciding main race.

Here’s the entry list: https://www.fia.com/sites/default/files/2023_fia_gt_world_cup_-_official_entry_list.pdf

[Note: The story is as per press release]

L'entrada FIA releases entry list for 2023 Macau GP as several stars return ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

GOWDA ON POLE – MACINTYRE FINISHES FIRST IN KNOCKHILL’S RACE ONE

Rodin Carlin’s Dion Gowda claimed his second Omologato Pole Position award of the ROKiT British F4 season in a wet qualifying session, at Scotland’s Knockhill circuit. Gowda’s advantage was just 0.04 of a second from Hitech Pulse-Eight’s Will Macintyre in P2.

In a session becoming all too familiar for British F4, 17 of the drivers clocked times within one-second of Gowda’s pole time. The second row of the grid made up of Louis Sharp (Rodin Carlin) and, newcomer to the series, Griffin Peebles (Phinsys by Argenti) in third and fourth overall.

Macintyre’s second fastest time provided some consolation, which saw him start on Pole alongside Sharp for this weekend’s Race 1.

Knockhill’s reputation for changeable conditions didn’t fail to deliver, with Race One throwing everything at the drivers as they battled the elements with rain first threatening, then falling off and on throughout the whole race. Macintyre measuredly converted his pole to the race lead straight from the start and ended the opening lap ahead of Sharp by 0.768 of a second with the pair ultimately finishing the race first and second, after a red flag caused a brief hiatus midway through the contest.

With the gap getting no bigger or smaller for second position, the real fight was between Aqil Alibhai (Virtuosi Racing) and Jack Sherwood (Chris Dittmann Racing) for the final step on the podium, with Sherwood getting past and holding firm after a safety car restart.

Noah Lisle (Rodin Carlin) crossed the line in fifth with Gustav Jonsson (Chris Dittmann Racing) in sixth. This was enough to secure Jonsson the win in the Rookie Cup, with Gabriel Stilp (Hitech Pulse-Eight) and Josh Irfan (Rodin Carlin) joining him on the podium.

FAIRCLOUGH CLAIMS RACE 2 VICTORY – GOWDA CONVERTS POLE TO WIN RACE 3

Deagen Fairclough (JHR Developments) claimed his first race win of his ROKiT British F4 campaign in Race 2 at Scotland’s Knockhill circuit. After starting on the front row, Fairclough got the jump on pole sitter Douwe Dedecker (Virtuosi Racing) and grabbed the lead, quickly building and managing his advantage to the chequered flag, and in doing so became the 11th British F4 race winner of the 2023 season.

Dedecker held out from James Higgins (Fortec Motorsport) for the second podium spot for the first 10 minutes of the 20-minute race, however ultimately it was Higgins who made the pass stick and finish second. It was James Piszcyk (Hitech Pulse-Eight) who finished third overall having started from fifth, with his teammate Gabriel Stilp (Hitech Pulse-Eight) behind him in fourth. Hitech Pulse-Eight’s Will Macintyre, having started in P17 on the full reverse grid, evidently had a point to prove, and set the fastest lap of the race for the Motul Fastest Lap Award.

Dion Gowda (Rodin Carlin) and Will Macintyre (Hitech Pulse-Eight) lined up on the front row for Race 3, with Gowda getting the holeshot and leading from the off. Macintyre attacked relentlessly for the entirety of the race, however it was ultimately Dion Gowda who held on for the win. Kanato Le (Hitech Pulse-Eight) converted a sixth place start to complete the podium, crossing the line third after a late race pass on newcomer Argenti’s Griffin Peebles. Virtuosi’s Aqil Alibhai finished off a solid weekend with fifth. Hitech’s James Piszcyk won the Motul fastest Lap award. Gustav Jonsson (CDR) battled with teammate Jack Sherwood for the opening part of the race to secure sixth place and the Rookie Cup win ahead of Gabriel Stilp (Hitech Pulse-Eight). Jonsson has now extended his lead to 31 points ahead of Stilp in the Rookie’s championship.

Deagen Fairclough won this weekend’s Pirelli Hardest Charger award and collects a set of Pirelli P-Zero tyres for use in testing.

Will Macintyre will wake up tomorrow on his 16th birthday, well satisfied with his weekend’s work in Scotland, having extended his ROKiT British F4 a championship lead to 26 points over Rodin Carlin’s Louis Sharp in second place.

The teams cup sees Rodin Carlin maintain a buffer over nearest rivals Hitech Pulse-Eight.

L'entrada Knockhill races are over: Macintyre extends his lead ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Eight drivers have amassed over 100 points however just two have topped the 200 mark; Will Macintyre (Hitech Pulse-Eight) and Louis Sharp (Rodin Carlin) have been trading places at the top for the seven events so far.

Just six points separate them as they arrive in Scotland with Norfolk’s Macintyre holding the advantage, but it’s been nip and tuck since early in the season when New Zealand’s Sharp led by only two points from Macintyre. Sharp extended that at Oulton Park to five points, then at Silverstone Macintyre turned the tables and amassed a 28-point lead. Two wins for Sharp at Croft Circuit two weekends ago saw that advantage drastically cut, so Knockhill’s results could very well make a big difference.

While Sharp and Macintyre have pulled away from the pack, there’s a clutch of drivers ready and capable of snapping at their heels should they have a poor weekend. Dion Gowda and Noah Lisle (Rodin Carlin), Deagen Fairclough (JHR), Jimmy Piszcyk and Kanato Le (Hitech Pulse-Eight) and James Higgins (Fortec Motorsport) are all the likely contenders for top-three places in the championship.

Sharp, at the previous round, became the first driver to claim four wins this season, it is Macintyre’s greater tally of podium finishes that has him edging ahead at the top of the rankings, however Macintyre will be hungry to add to his single top-step appearance. So far in 2023, ten drivers have shared the 20 race wins and the 20 of the 23 drivers, who have competed so far this year, have claimed a podium finish – racing doesn’t get much more competitive than British F4!

Only Fortec’s James Higgins has so far claimed more than one Omologato Pole Position, but with Knockhill’s reputation for limited overtaking opportunities, there will be many drivers eager to ensure that they start from the front of the grid!

The 2023 rookies have shown that they mean business, ably mixing it with their more experienced competitors. At Croft Circuit, Isaac Barashi became the fifth rookie to lift a main-championship trophy. In the Rookie Cup, CDR’s Gustav Jonsson continues to lead ahead of Gabriel Stilp (Hitech Pulse-Eight) and Josh Irfan (Rodin Carlin). The Team’s Cup is worth watching for too. Rodin Carlin leads with 461 points to Hitech Pulse-Eight’s 436.

Back in 2015, the first year of the current F4 era, F1’s Lando Norris was among the Knockhill race winners with Norris’ McLaren team-mate Piastri claiming two race wins in 2017. If you’d like to come and meet the budding Formula 1 stars at the beginning of their single-seater careers, head over to the autograph signing session outside the ROKiT British F4 Race Centre on Sunday at 1330 hours. It is likely that there a number of drivers of the highly talented British F4 class of 2023 who could very well be emulating and following in Lando’s footsteps!

Qualifying starts at 10:25 on Saturday with race one taking place at 16:15.
On Sunday, race two takes place at 10:20 with race three at 15:20.

Live timing and commentary from Saturday and Sunday will be available here

L'entrada British F4 championship battle intensifies at Knockhill ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

The restart saw Sharp give another lights-to-flag performance despite a constant challenge from Will Macintyre (Hitech Pulse-Eight) in the opening corners, with the Motul Fastest Lap point adding to Sharp’s weekend tally. Sharp is the first driver of the 2023 season to have won four races. Standings leader Will Macintyre (Hitech Pulse-Eight) had his opportunity to attack Sharp for the win hindered by needing to defend against Deagen Fairclough (JHR) who was eagerly pushing for second place.

Sharp crossed the line 1.962 seconds ahead of Macintyre with Fairclough completing the podium; his fourth of the year and touchingly he dedicated this to Bob Fearnley, a leading figure in motorsport who was fundamental in the ROKiT Star programme that enabled Fairclough’s 2023 campaign.

Josh Irfan (Rodin Carlin) finished fifth and lies third in the Rookie Cup which continues to be led by Gustav Jonsson (CDR). Jonsson finished seventh having gained five places in the race, which contributed to him winning the Pirelli Hardest Charger accolade for Croft Circuit. He receives a set of Pirelli P Zero tyres for testing.
After 20 of 30 races in the championship, it’s tight at the top with Will Macintyre’s margin reducing to just six points from Louis Sharp in second place.

Rodin Carlin continues to hold an advantage over Hitech Pulse-Eight in the Team’s Cup.

Knockhill Circuit hosts the next ROKiT British F4 Championship event when the series visits Scotland on 12-13 August.

L'entrada Sharp becomes first 2023 four-race winner; Macintyre retains championship lead ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

The third edition of the FIA Motorsport Games will take place from 23-27 October 2024 in Spain, with the Generalitat Valenciana and Circuit Ricardo Tormo set to host the popular multidisciplinary event that unites athletes from all four corners of the globe in a unique spirit of sporting competition.

The third running of the Games – jointly launched by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) and SRO Motorsports Group – promises to be the biggest yet. Not only are all 16 categories that made up the 2022 event confirmed to return, but they will be joined by ten new ones, increasing opportunities for drivers from National Sporting Authorities (ASNs) worldwide to vie for medals under the flag of their home country.

This growth underscores the momentum that has been building since the highly successful inaugural event in 2019, which took place in the Italian capital of Rome and at the nearby Vallelunga circuit before moving to Marseille in France last year and expanding from six categories to 16.

The 2022 Games set a new record for the number of nations ever to contest a single motorsport event. Over four days of action spread across the Circuit Paul Ricard, Autocross Veynois, and the surrounding region, 463 athletes representing 72 ASNs did battle for glory in front of 45,000 enthusiastic spectators, with Team Italy ultimately prevailing courtesy of a haul of three gold medals and one silver.

The torch now passes to Spain as the category count increases again to 26, spanning the full spectrum of the sport from Circuit Racing to Electric Street – that includes Auto Slalom and Karting Slalom – Karting, Esports, Off-road, and Rally. The original founding categories of the FIA Motorsport Games – GT, GT Sprint, Touring Car, Formula 4, Drift, and Esports – continue to feature prominently, alongside a new medal opportunity in Esports Rally.

In Karting, the Junior and Senior Sprint categories will return, while Karting Endurance will welcome female/male pairings aged 14 and over. The new addition in this discipline is Karting Mini, which will be introduced for drivers aged between eight and 11.

The Rally disciplines account for the greatest number of new categories. Rally2, Rally4, and Historic Rally have each been separated into three contests – one for Gravel specialists, one for Tarmac specialists, and one comprising both surfaces for all-rounders, offering no fewer than nine possibilities to win medals. The new Rally All-Stars category, meanwhile, is open to drivers listed on the FIA priority list who are not currently eligible to enter Rally2 or Rally4.

Cross Car Junior and Senior return alongside the new Cross Car Eco category, which complements the existing electric competitions in Auto Slalom and Karting Slalom. Further new categories remain under consideration.

In addition to the coveted trophy for the winning nation outright, there will be regional trophies for Africa, the Americas, Asia-Pacific, Europe, and Middle East/North Africa (MENA). There will also be a NewStar trophy for the nation whose upcoming talents shine brightest in the grassroots categories and an AllStar trophy for the top-performing nation in categories reserved for more established drivers.

Further information and details will follow, before official entries for the 2024 FIA Motorsport Games open early next year.

Notes to Editors

FIA Motorsport Games 2024 – Provisional list of categories 

Circuit Racing
1: GT
2: GT Sprint
3: Formula 4
4: Touring Car
5: Drift

Esports

6: Esports GT

7: Esports Rally NEW

Rally

8: Rally2

9:  Rally2 Gravel NEW
10: Rally2 Tarmac NEW
11: Rally4
12: Rally4 Gravel NEW
13: Rally4 Tarmac NEW
14: Rally All-Stars NEW

15: Historic Rally

16: Historic Rally Gravel NEW
17: Historic Rally Tarmac NEW

Off Road

18: Cross Car Junior
19: Cross Car Senior
20: Cross Car Eco NEW
Karting

21: Karting Sprint Jr
22: Karting Sprint Sr

23: Karting Endurance
24: Karting Mini NEW

Electric Street 

25: Auto Slalom
26: Karting Slalom

[Note: The story is as per press release]

L'entrada FIA announces third edition of Motorsport Games in Spain ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

As reports suggested earlier, British team Hitech GP has confirmed its F1 bid for 2026 after agreeing for a stake sale to Kazakhstan-based businessman Kim. The owner of Kazakhmys has acquired a 25% interest in Hitech Global Holdings Limited.

Hitech GP already fields a team in F4, F3 and F2 championships and now wishes to expand onto F1 which team owner Oliver Oakes has always wanted to. They have been planning this for the past 20 months and made their application to the FIA.

Hitech GP joins the likes of Andretti Cadillac, SKY LUNZ and Formula Equal to bid join F1 in 2026. Kim’s Kazakhmys has been supportive of various Kazakh athletes but it is likely their first foray into motor racing as its wishes to expand its foothold.

Looking at Kim’s business venture, his company is majorly in mining, banking and aviation sectors, with his Kazakhmys and KAZ Minerals Group’s work in extraction and processing of copper ore which makes it as one of the top ten copper producers in the world.

“I am delighted to welcome Vladimir Kim to the Hitech group,” said Hitech GP boss Oakes. “During our discussions we found many natural synergies and I know that his support will be invaluable as we seek to build on Hitech’s success and work towards achieving its broader ambitions over the years to come.”

Meanwhile, Kim added: “Motorsport has been a long-standing personal interest for me, and I am delighted to be entering into a partnership with an organisation that has enjoyed success in so many categories and has such ambitions for its future.

“We have an established involvement with sport; however, this is our first global investment in motorsport. Its dynamic appeal, growing exposure, business-to-business marketing opportunities and burgeoning fan base are aligned with my ambitions personally and commercially.”

Here’s photos of new Silverstone’s Escapade

Here’s FIA on multiple WMSC announcement

Here’s Stefano Domenicali full on F1 podcast

Here’s Drive to Survive producer on the F1 show

Here’s Singapore with new lighting system

Here’s news on new F1 drama series

L'entrada Hitech GP confirms F1 bid after Vladimir Kim acquires shareholding ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

After two vibrant events at Spa-Francorchamps and Motorland Aragón, the Championship lands at Los Arcos ready to offer a great show to all the fans cheering in the stands.

Pedro Clerot (MP Motorsport) defends  Championship lead after a difficult weekend in which he managed to limit the damage against winners at Motorland: Théophile Naël (Sainteloc Racing), now P2 Overall, Christian Ho (Campos Racing) & Enzo Deligny (Campos Racing), P3 & P4 Overall respectively.

Now top-5 is the group is separated by less than 20 points with 5 rounds still ahead in one of the tightest starts in recent years, showing the big improvement of teams and drivers with the Tatuus F4-T421.

An action-packed weekend in Navarra is ahead for teams and drivers starting with a 4h-collective test on Friday.

Then a busy Saturday including two Free Practice sessions, Qualifying session 1 and first race of the weekend scheduled at 17:00h local time.

Sunday will include second qualifying session of the event plus Race 2 at 11:35h local time and final race of the weekend scheduled for Sunday afternoon at 14:40h local time.

All races will be broadcasted live on F4 Spanish Championship YouTube Chanel. Race 3 on Sunday will be broadcasted on RTVE Play too.

L'entrada Round 3 Preview- Navarra ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

iRacing, the world’s premier motorsport simulation and leader in eSports, is extremely pleased to announce an official partnership with the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) to bring a licensed FIA Formula 4 experience to iRacing. As part of the agreement, the car currently known as the iRacing Formula iR-04 will be relaunched as the FIA F4 with iRacing’s 2023 Season 3 release in June.

Nikolas Tombazis, FIA Single Seater Director said: “This partnership with iRacing is an important step for grassroots motor sport development. The virtual racing space is a key area for the FIA in its goal to double global participation in motorsport, both as a discipline in its own right and as a route into real-world competition. The next generation of racing drivers is already highly engaged in this arena, which removes many of the historical barriers to entry by being low-cost and easily accessible, opening up possibilities to increase diversity and engagement in new and emerging markets. Formula 4 Championships, Certified by FIA, represent the first step for drivers to move from karting to car racing, and to have a highly-respected industry-leading partner in iRacing bringing this global framework online is fantastic news.”

“We are thrilled to have formalized a partnership agreement with the FIA,” said iRacing president Tony Gardner. “The F4 platform has proven to be incredibly popular and exciting in both the real world and the virtual one, and we know that our members will benefit from the synergy between our two organizations. With many FIA national ASNs already running events through iRacing, this alliance will only further expand opportunities for the future stars of motorsport to get their start through sim racing. In addition to iRacing’s new FIA F4 Challenge, iRacing and the FIA are discussing additional eSport plans for the future.”

The FIA Formula 4 platform was announced in 2013 in advance of a 2014 debut, and has grown in popularity around the world as the ideal first step on the global open-wheel racing ladder. Featuring a diverse range of chassis and engine manufacturers, each F4 car is capped at 160 horsepower to ensure equal performance around the world. Formula 4 Championships, Certified by FIA, now take place across four continents and have been established by FIA member organizations.

iRacing’s version of the FIA Formula 4 car benefits from the same level of analysis, detail, data, and testing as members have come to expect, while the genericized model allows for use by FIA member clubs worldwide without manufacturer conflicts. iRacing offers multiple public series featuring the FIA Formula 4 to its more than 200,000 active users, with options for both custom setups and fixed performance. Dozens of real-world FIA Formula 4 host circuits are already available on iRacing, with more to be added in future releases.

[Note: The story is as per press release]

L'entrada iRacing teams up with FIA to give F4 experience on its platform ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

McLaren announced the formation of a new driver development programme which will be led by veteran Pirro. It is aimed to create potential talents for its F1, Formula E and IndyCar teams, in as a full-time driver or test or in development capacity.

McLaren is to support young talents in their development from karting to professional level. They are also aiming to support established professional from other series with opportunities in F1 via their testing programme.

At present, they have IndyCar drivers Pato O’Ward and Alex Palou in the ranks, where the latter is already its F1 reserve. Among the juniors who is still coming through the junior ladders is Ugo Ugochukwu, who is racing in Italian F4 with Prema.

“McLaren has a long history of developing emerging talent into top-level racing drivers and I’m proud that will continue long into the future,” said Zak Brown. “We have an experienced team here at McLaren, who will be ably led by Emanuele, that are capable of providing the support and resources required to develop raw young talent into highly competitive professional racing drivers.

“With McLaren’s wide racing portfolio across Formula 1, IndyCar and Formula E, we’re well placed to help develop young talent from the very start of their careers all the way through to full-time racing or test and development roles. We already have an exciting stable of talent, featuring Pato, Alex and Ugo, and I’m excited to continue supporting their development as we start to build the McLaren Driver Development programme.”

At the same time, Pirro added: “I am thrilled by this assignment for several reasons. McLaren played a crucial role in my career by giving me the opportunity to earn an F1 drive and to elevate myself to a higher level by working alongside Senna, Prost and Berger.

“Together with my team, my role will assist in creating a state-of-the-art programme, selecting the best possible drivers and providing them with all the tools they need to make the best use of their talent. Furthermore, embed them in the McLaren mission, vision and values and hopefully, have one of them progress to the F1 team.

“An important asset for us are the IndyCar and Formula E teams, which will give extra opportunities for a professional career to our McLaren Driver Development members. I love working with young drivers and helping them grow and improve. Every time I did it in the past has been an enriching experience and I look forward to doing it again.

“McLaren has an amazing history in F1. It means a lot to me, and I am hugely proud to be part of this programme. I am grateful to Zak Brown and Andrea Stella for giving me this great opportunity.”

Here’s Andrea Stella on them not getting carried away

Here’s Zak Brown on not liking McLaren’s development pace

Here’s McLaren duo on points in Australia

Here’s McLaren being fined for employee death

L'entrada Pirro to lead new McLaren driver development programme ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

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.

Griffin Peebles, Campos Academy driver comes with a lot of experience in international karting and is eager to take on this new challenge. 

The 2023 season promises to be an exciting one with Peebles behind the wheel of one of Tecnicar’s single-seaters. Griffin, who turned 15 a month ago (02/29/2008), joins Eric Gené, who was announced last week for the Spanish team. 

Peebles, born in Shanghai, began his career in Asia. He quickly finished runner-up in the Chinese National Championship in 2017 and then in 2019 he was Rotax champion in Japan. 2019 was a good year for the Australian who finished ninth in both the Rotax and Rok World Championships. 

Declarations: 

Griffin Peebles: “I am beyond excited to join Tecnicar Motorsport Solutions for the 2023 Spanish Formula 4 season and make my single-seater debut with them. It’s a fantastic opportunity and I’m looking forward to it.” 

Javier Lapeña, Team Principal at Tecnicar Motorsport Solutions: 

“We are delighted to have Griffin for this season. He has shown great promise in karting and we believe he has what it takes to make an impact in single-seaters.” 

L'entrada Griffin Peebles will make his Formula 4 debut with Tecnicar Motorsport Solutions  ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

The 16-year-old from Sant Cugat del Vallès (Barcelona) will make his single-seater debut season with Tecnicar Motorsport Solutions for the 2023 Spanish Formula 4 championship.

He is the son of former World Touring Car Championship driver Jordi Gené and nephew of former F1 driver Marc Gené. With his impressive racing pedigree, Eric Gené continues his family pedigree in motorsports.

Gené born in Sant Cugat del Vallès (Barcelona), in 3rd of March of 2007, is no stranger to the racetrack, as he has competed in the mosts important karting championships throughout Spain, and Europe.

Quotes:

Jordi Gené: “Eric has been passionate about motor racing since he was very young and we are delighted that he will have this opportunity with Tenicar Motorsport Solutions to compete in the 2023 Spanish Formula 4 championship”

Team Principal at Tenicar Motorsport Solutions, Javier Lapeña expressed his excitement over the new addition:

“We are very pleased to welcome Eric as part of our team for 2023. With his experience in karting and dedication to the sport, we are confident that he will be a great asset to our team. We look forward to seeing him excel on track.”

Eric himself was eager to get started:

“I am thrilled to join Tenicar Motorsport Solutions for 2023 and I am excited for season! It is an honor for me to follow in my father’s and uncle’s footsteps and I can’t wait to take on this new challenge.”

Tenicar Motorsport Solutions is dedicated to providing young drivers with an opportunity to develop their skills and reach their full potential on track. The team looks forward to working with Eric through this journey as we strive together towards success in 2023 Spanish Formula 4 Championship.

L'entrada Eric Gené Joins Tenicar Motorsport Solutions, following in the footsteps of his motorsport family ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Tecnicar Motorsport Solutions announces that they will join the Formula 4 Spanish Championship for the 2023 season. 

The Formula de Campeones team, from the Ricardo Tormo Circuit in the Valencian Community, had the mission in 2018 to create an F-4 structure to give the chance to those drivers, from Valencia Region and their technology center (CETDM), who came from karting and wanted to make the leap to single-seaters. During the 4 years that the adventure lasted, similar structures have been created in the Valencian community, so in 2022, this project was concluded. 

Tecnicar Motorsport Solutions now takes over this structure with the objective of increasing brand recognition and promoting their products through motorsport. The team will start the season at Spa-Francorchamps with three drivers to be announced soon. 

Javier Lapeña will lead the team on this new adventure for the Spanish company: “Formula 4 is the perfect platform to showcase our products and services to a global audience.” 

“When Formula de Campeones changed their strategy, not contuining their participation in a championship that we were a part of from the beginning, we decided to take advantage of all this experience and good track record to acquire the team, now as a private company, and thus continue with an incredible project. 

“We are excited to join the Spanish Formula 4 and make our mark in the world of motorsport,” says the team principal, Javier Lapeña. “Our drivers have been training hard, and we can’t wait to show everyone what they can do.” 

The 2023 season will be Tecnicar Motorsport Solutions’ first foray into the world of professional motorsport, and they plan to make a big impact this season. The team has three young drivers who have been honing their skills in preparation for this historic moment. 

“We are thrilled to have three very talented drivers on the team,” says Javier Lapeña. “They have all worked very hard to get here, and I’m sure they will make a name for themselves. We are eager to demonstrate their skills and compete with some of the best drivers in the world.” 

“I am very pleased with the professionalism of the team, with an incredible group of people, all determined and passionate about motorsport, which will give us an advantage over our opponents.” 

Tecnicar Motorsport Solutions looks forward to competing in the 2023 Spanish Formula 4 Championship with great anticipation and enthusiasm. With three talented drivers at their helm, this new team will surely offer an exciting spectacle. 

What is Tecnicar Motorsport Solutions? 

If you are a professional in the sector, at Tecnicar we have a wide range of technical collaborators with whom we offer transport, mechanics, and engineering services to help you carry out an event with total professionalism. 

In addition, thanks to agreements with the main schools of mechanics and competition engineers, at Tecnicar, we can help you grow as a team from the base, providing you with young, talented, and trained individuals who are eager to work in this exciting sector. Additionally, we specialize in the base categories of F4 and FRECA single-seaters. 

L'entrada Tecnicar Motorsport Solutions joins Formula 4 Spanish Championship  ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Having announced two drivers for 2022, Sauber will have four in the academy for the 2023 F1 season in an expanded line-up. Among the two, only Theo Pourchaire is retained for this year who is also to be the reserve driver of Alfa Romeo.

The Frenchman is already known to compete in F2 with ART Grand Prix and completed a three-day test in Bahrain using Sauber colours. Joining Pourchaire for 2023 will be newcomers Lena Buhler, Marcus Amand and Taym Saleh.

Swiss racer Buhler will compete in the F1 Academy later in 2023 with ART, while currently she is competing in the UAE F4 series with R2Race. French-Finnish Amand will race in Formula Regional European Championship, also with ART.

As for Saleh, the German racer will continue in karting and compete in the CIK-OK Championship. Having been part of the Sauber family last year, Roberto Faria has not been retained by them like Pourchaire. “Discovering and nurturing young talent has always been at the center of Sauber Motorsport’s philosophy, with the ultimate aim of raising the champions of tomorrow,” said Beat Zehnder. “Sauber Academy’s 2023 roster is very promising, and I am looking forward to working with each of the drivers.

“Théo’s growth and development ever since he joined have been a source of great pride for us, including his promotion to being one of our Formula One team’s official reserve drivers. We are also delighted to welcome Léna, Marcus, and Taym to the Academy. We will be by their side in the next steps of their careers, providing them with the tools, the education and the resources needed to succeed in the world of motorsport: we cannot wait to get started and unlock their potential further together.”

On the driver side, Pourchaire started: “Being part of the Sauber Academy is a massive opportunity for me, and I am thankful for that. I wouldn’t be where I am right now, and I wouldn’t have had the chances I was given without their support. I feel part of a great family and a great team, which gives me a further push to obtain the best possible results. This year will be a busy one, splitting my time between Formula 2 and my reserve driver duties, but I am ready and motivated for the challenge.”

At the same time, Buhler stated: “Joining the Sauber Academy is an amazing chance for which I am extremely grateful. I am very much looking forward to working together with the team as I make a further step in my motorsport career, joining the F1 Academy series. With Sauber Academy, I know I will have the guidance and support, learning from their over three decades of experience in Formula One.”

Meanwhile, Amand noted: “I am absolutely pleased to be inducted in the Sauber Academy and to have their support as I move onto a new experience in the Formula Regional European Championship. My aim for this year is to continue improving my knowledge and skills, developing as a driver, and I am confident I will achieve that through the support of the Academy’s extensive expertise. I can’t wait to begin the journey to Formula One together.”

And Saleh added: “I am proud to have been selected to join the Sauber Academy, and thankful for their support. Several drivers rose through the ranks and made their debut with Sauber Motorsport, and it is a goal of mine to join them in the future. It is a great honour that they have seen the potential in me and intend to invest in my future.”

Here’s the driver list:

Theo Pourchaire (ART Grand Prix) – Formula 2

Lena Buhler (ART GP) – F1 Academy

Marcus Amand (ART GP) – Formula Regional European Championship

Taym Saleh – CIK-OK Championship

Here’s Alessandro Alunni Bravi on his role

Here’s Alfa Romeo during Day 2 of filming

Here’s Day 1 of Alfa Romeo filming

Here’s Jan Monchaux on 2023 car changes

Here’s 2023 Alfa Romeo F1 car/livery

L'entrada Sauber names four drivers in their 2023 F1 academy ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Alpine had four drivers in the proper Academy for the 2022 season with five other being named under its Affiliate programme. For 2023, several of those have been promoted to the main line-up after a year of showcasing their talent.

Continuing on in the proper academy are Jack Doohan and Victor Martins, both of whom will race in F2 with Virtuosi Racing ans ART Grand Prix respectively. The promotion list from 2022 has Nikola Tsolov, who will be racing in F3 with ART.

Together with him, the likes of Abbi Pulling, Matheus Ferreira and Kean Nakamura, have been given full F1 academy status where Pulling will race in F1 Academy series with Carlin, Ferreira will race in Italian F4 whereas Nakamura will continue in karting.

The two new faces to join the Alpine academy are Gabriele Mini and Aiden Neate, where the former will race in F3 with Hitech GP while the latter’s programme will be announced in due course as he is currently racing in the UAE F4 championship.

The list doesn’t feature Hadrien David who rejoined the academy last year, while Olli Caldwell has moved to the wider Alpine programme considering he will compete in LMP2 in 2023. Since the French outfit has a LMDh team, it bodes well with their expansion.

Caio Collet, meanwhile, has parted ways with Alpine but will retain the link with them even though he won’t be officially representing them. The young drivers will be looked after by Davide Brivio and Julian Rouse in the academy.

Laurent Rossi, Alpine Cars CEO: “The Alpine Academy has been strengthened and expanded for 2023 as it remains a seminal part of Alpine Racing’s ambitions in motorsport, said Laurent Rossi. ”While Formula 1 remains the pinnacle, we have adopted a fresh approach to the Academy from this year to expand opportunities under the Alpine umbrella where we have presence across many motorsport disciplines.

“We are dedicated to progressing drivers through the racing ranks to open up a greater talent pool across our racing teams. Of course, ultimately, the best talent have ambitions of reaching Formula 1 and that remains the objective, but by expanding our vision we will create opportunities to identify, nurture and help our young drivers become accomplished racing drivers who will represent the Alpine brand on a global scale. I’m excited to see what the 2023 drivers can achieve, and I look forward to following their respective seasons very closely.”

Meanwhile, Brivio noted: “It’s been a privilege to be able to contribute to the Alpine Academy and I think 2023 has the potential to be a very exciting year. We have eight drivers spread across different racing categories all with high ambitions and high targets. Every year that goes by, we see our drivers grow and mature both on and off the track.

“A key element of 2023 is counting on Alpine’s dedication to motorsport to offer our drivers experience and opportunities. We will work closely with the Alpine Endurance Team and, of course, with the Formula 1 team to push our drivers to adapt, learn and ultimately become better race drivers. It’s a great moment to be involved with the Academy, so let’s see what the year brings.”

And finally, Rouse added: “The 2023 Alpine Academy line-up is arguably the most competitive it’s ever been. It’s been great to expand our roster to eight drivers and be able to represent Alpine across many disciplines. In Formula 2, we have two drivers in Jack and Victor who both have the potential to be fighting near the front. It’s the same in Formula 3 with Nikola and Gabriele who I expect will be competitive from the get-go.

“Away from the Formula 1 support categories, we’re looking forward to seeing what Abbi, Matheus, Aiden and Kean can achieve across their respective series. I’m pleased to see Olli progressing into the sportscar world with us and this is just the start of a much closer and collaborative project where we at the Academy aim to count on the expertise of Alpine’s various racing divisions to give our drivers experience and opportunities. There are exciting times ahead and we’re all looking forward to working closely with our 2023 drivers.”

Here’s the full list:

Jack Doohan (Virtuosi Racing) & Victor Martins (ART) – Formula 2

Nikola Tsolov (ART) & Gabriele Mini (Hitech GP) – Formula 3

Matheus Ferreira (Van Amersfoort Racing) – Italian F4

Abbi Pulling (Carlin) – F1 Academy

Kean Nakamura (Kart Republic) – European Karting

Aiden Neate – TBC

Here’s Alpine completing its shakedown

Here’s Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon’s first shoot together

Here’s Laurent Rossi on expectation from Pierre Gasly

Here’s Otmar Szafnauer on power unit situation

L'entrada Alpine reveals eight drivers to be part of their academy in 2023 ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

After Ferrari revealed their junior line-up on Tuesday, Red Bull confirmed theirs on Wednesday morning with 12 names in its F1 Junior Team for the 2023 season. Among them, five are new entrants where one of them has been promoted to full-time level.

From the ones continuing are Liam Lawson, Dennis Hauger, Jak Crawford, Ayumu Iwasa, Isack Hadjar, Souta Arao and Arvid Lindbald, while the new entrants are Enzo Fittipaldi, Sebastian Montoya, Zane Maloney, Enzo Deligny and Enzo Tarnvanichkul.

Among these, Montoya was part of the Red Bull athletes programme in 2022 and has been promoted to full-time Junior Team for 2023. With these confirmed names, the ones who have left are Jehan Daruvala, Juri Vips, Jonny Edgar, Noel Leon and Yuto Nomura.

11 of the 12 drivers will compete in Europe with Lawson racing in Super Formula Japan. Among the 11, six of them will race in F2 where Red Bull confirmed Fittipaldi and Maloney to be racing for Carlin and Crawford and Hadjar for HitechGP.

Montoya will be the sole F3 representative with Hitech GP, with Lindbald in Italian F4 with Prema while Deligny will be in Spanish F4 with Campos Racing. Arao is to race in GB3 with Hitech GP, while Tarnvanichkul will continue in karting.

Here’s the full list:

Liam Lawson (Team Mugen Honda) – Super Formula

Dennis Hauger (MP Motorsport), Ayumu Iwasa (DAMS), Enzo Fittipaldi & Zane Maloney (Carlin), Jak Crawford & Isack Hadjar (Hitech GP) – Formula 2

Sebastian Montoya (Hitech GP) – Formula 3

Arvid Lindbald (Prema) – Italian F4

Enzo Deligny (Campos Racing) – Spanish F4

Souta Aroa (Hitech GP) – GB3

Enzo Tarnvanichkul (Prema) – European/World Champion (Karting)

2023 F2 line-up so far:

MP Motorsport – Dennis Hauger

Prema – Oliver Bearman, Frederik Vesti

Campos Racing – Ralph Boschung, Kush Maini

DAMS – Arthur Leclerc, Ayumu Iwasa

Trident – Clement Novalak, Roman Stanek

PHM Racing by Charouz – Roy Nissany, Brad Benavides

Virtuosi Racing – Jack Doohan, Amaury Cordeel

Van Amersfoort Racing – Richard Verschoor, Juan Manuel Correa

Carlin – Enzo Fittipaldi, Zane Maloney

Hitch GP – Jak Crawford, Isack Hadjar

2023 F3 line-up so far:

Trident: Gabriel Bortoleto, Oliver Goethe, Leonardo Fornaroli

Prema: Paul Aron, Dino Beganovic, Zak O’Sullivan

ART Grand Prix: Gregoire Saucy, Kaylen Frederick, Nikola Tsolov

Hitech GP: Gabriele Mini, Sebastian Montoya

MP Motorsport: Jonny Edgar, Mari Boya, Franco Colapinto

Van Amersfoort Racing: Rafael Villagomez, Tommy Smith, Caio Collet

Carlin: Hunter Yeany, Oliver Gray

Campos Racing: Christian Mansell

Here’s Christian Horner on communication being key

Here’s Paul Monaghan on Max Verstappen being technically gifted

Here’s Paul Monaghan on 2022 being satisfying

Here’s Christian Horner on Red Bull becoming unpopular

Here’s Adrian Newey on impact of less windtunnel time

Here’s Christian Horner picking Max Verstappen’s best of 2022

L'entrada Red Bull completes its 2023 F1 junior line-up with 12 drivers ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Having already started out as the team principal more than a week ago, Frederic Vasseur was also at hand to kick-off a week-long training programme for the 2023 Ferrari F1 academy drivers at Maranello alongside Laurent Mekies and Marco Matassa.

The academy has two new faces – namely Tuukka Taponen and Aurelia Nobels – joining the six existing from last season. The ones carrying on from last year are Arthur Leclerc, Oliver Bearman, Dino Beganovic, James Wharton and Maya Weug.

Seven of the eight drivers were present for the first day with Weug missing as she is taking part in the The Female Quotient’s Equality Lounge where she is discussing the topic of “Driving Equality Forward with the Women Leading in Motorsport”.

The drivers who are not carrying on this year are Mick Schumacher, Robert Shwartzman and Laura Camps Torras. The German has moved on to Mercedes for 2023, while the Russian has been promoted to reserve capacity and is no longer part of the academy.

The week-long programme will see them undergo various tests on the psychological and physical front, with a karting session too where Tony Kart will help them when they hit the Franciacorta track. The programme will be curated according to their 2023 experience.

“The start of a new academic year is always a very special moment,” said Matassa. “It’s good to meet up again with our existing students and even more special to open the doors to our new ones. It’s going to be a particularly demanding season because seven of the eight of them will be rookies in their category and so they face an even tougher challenge.

“In 2022, we were back winning titles again and, for our part, we are ready to do our utmost, investing even more in terms of the facilities and personnel that we will put at the disposal of our youngsters, to help and support them in obtaining the results of which we know they are capable. A special welcome goes to our newcomers, Aurelia Nobels and Tuukka Taponen, the latest graduates of our scouting programme.

“Aurelia joins the FDA from the programme we run with the FIA, which has already proved successful with Maya Weug, while Tuukka was the most outstanding of the youngsters who came to Maranello for the third edition of the FDA Scouting World Finals, where all those taking part were of a very high standard. We are looking forward to starting work with them and the other students in the hope that we have a successful year together.”

Here’s the full list of Ferrari academy drivers and their programmes –

Arthur Leclerc (DAMS) and Oliver Bearman (Prema) – Formula 2

Dino Beganovic (Prema) – Formula 3

Rafael Camara (Prema) and Maya Weug (KIC Motorsport) – Formula Regional European Championship

James Wharton (Prema), Tuukka Taponen (Prema) and Aurelia Nobels (Iron Dames) – Formula 4 (Italy)

Here’s Carlos Sainz on Frederic Vasseur

Here’s Ferrari counting on Carlos Sainz

Here’s Mattia Binotto on Sebastian Vettel

Here’s Carlos Sainz having clear target for 2023

Here’s Sebastian Vettel on time with Charles Leclerc

Here’s Charles Leclerc on P2 finish

L'entrada Ferrari firms up 2023 F1 academy drivers as they start training ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

F1 Academy, announced last month as an all-women driver category which aims to develop and prepare young women drivers to progress to the highest levels of competition, can today confirm the names of the five teams entering the competition for the inaugural season in 2023 through to 2025.

The confirmed teams are:

L'entrada F1 Academy confirms five teams for first three seasons ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Over the Abu Dhabi GP weekend, Formula 1 announced ‘F1 Academy’ championship for female racers trying to progress in the junior ladder. The base idea of the series is to provide them an opportunity to move towards W Series, F3 and F2.

From the outside, it will more or less fall in the F4 category – since the racers will progress towards W Series – where they will use the Tatuus T421 chassis which will have a turbo charged engine, delivering 165 horsepower and supplied by Autotecnica.

F1 is accumulating a budget to run the series which will feature F2 and F3 teams. In the meantime, bosses like Toto Wolff, Christian Horner, Mike Krack, Laurent Rossi, Mattia Binotto (soon to leave) and Zak Brown have positive thoughts on it.

Here’s what they said: 

Wolff: “Obviously I was with Susie for the end of her career in DTM and in Formula 1, and I saw the stumbling blocks that were thrown in her way. She was very competitive. At Williams, she was being put into FP1 and was very close to the main driver but still, even with the female team principles, she wasn’t given the opportunity, although it would have been great for the sport, and probably great commercially also for the team. So it was pretty… a situation that we couldn’t understand and then she decided well, clearly there is no more obvious situation that shows that door is closed at the moment. And she’s been passionate about it, further on. She’s the founder of the Dare to be Different programme that was merged with the FIA’s Girls on Track and still very much involved in how can we get young girls into Formula 1, but it needs to start at grassroots. I think if you look at go karting for a 100 drivers there’s three girls and we’re talking about the 20 best drivers in the world. So clearly, this is where we need to start.

“So I think the initiative that was started by Formula 1 is very good,  an important one:  smaller cars, lots of testing, which is important and hopefully Formula 1 can identify young female go-karters and junior drivers, because there are some good ones in W also, that can participate there, can get lots of track time and then eventually the best ones move up into Formula 4 or Formula 3 and only if we strengthen the base, we can bring a girl, a woman into Formula 1, but she needs to be competitive. I think this is the most important. We can’t just do it for the quota because that would… a woman in Formula 1 would set back by a long time if she’s not competitive. Susie’s exploring avenues, she’s always been emotionally involved in bringing drivers up. We have a young girl, Luna Fluxa, who’s very young, who’s in go karting, she makes it to the finals in the Europeans and in the World Championships. And Susie’s looking at that, and yeah, she’s discussing with Stefano whether there’s interesting avenue to work together, but nothing is decided she’s still contemplating.”

Brown: “Yeah, I think anything that creates opportunity and encourages women and diversity and youth into motor racing is a good thing. We entered Extreme E this year, so McLaren racing has our first female driver in Emma Gilmour. That’s one of the main reasons why we entered the championship, was to support our D&I, our gender equality, our sustainability agenda. And so I think it’s great to see a lot of what Liberty is doing, investing in the sport. So a women’s series we would definitely welcome and want to understand it more to see where there are opportunities for us to possibly participate.”

Binotto: “From my side as well it’s certainly  a great opportunity. I think F1 more is important in the direction, try to develop young female somehow drivers to have at some stage one thing in the Formula 1 and we at Ferrari it’s something which we certainly believe very important. As you know, we’ve got our own programme Girls on Track within our Ferrari Driver Academy, already now for three seasons. We are doing big scouting activities, we are doing camps, selections, maybe Maya [Weug] as a driver is our most let me say our first ambassador of that programme. She’s racing, she’s training and you can see her back at Maranello  with engineers, at the gym so it’s really something on which we are pushing on. We believe that at some stage it’s something that has to happen to our female drivers in Formula 1 but it will take time, because it’s a long, long journey. But more important that we’re creating opportunities, and I’m pretty sure through the opportunities it is going to happen.”

Rossi: “Well, I guess any initiative is good. We have a, I wouldn’t say a different or opposite, but just an alternate path, where we want to bring women in a more mixed environment. But it’s always good. I mean, it’s better to have that Academy than nothing, for sure.”

Horner: “I think it’s a good thing for Formula 1 to be getting involved in. And it’s just great to see more and more women coming into the sport and at all levels, as a driver, a designer, we see more women up and down the paddock now, in technical functions, operational roles. And I think it’s all about inclusiveness. And I think it’s great. I think that you know, there’s such interest from youngsters as well. And with such a young female content that are following Formula 1 now, that’s only going to see more and more people, girls wanting to get involved at the grassroots level of karting, so there’s a bigger pool of drivers coming through, that there’s more engineers, that Formula 1 is exciting and open to embracing inclusion and diversity.”

Krack: “I can only agree on what Christian and Laurent said. Clearly, any initiative is a good one to promote female drivers, but also female engineers and mechanics into our sport. So we’re very supportive of that. Now, the path chosen, I cannot really judge if this is now the right one or not, to come back to your question, but we welcome the initiative, clearly.”

Here’s details of F1 Academy for female drivers

L'entrada F1 team bosses share their views on new junior female series ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

F1 Commission:

The F1 Commission met for the fourth and the final time in 2022 during the ongoing Abu Dhabi GP weekend in the presence of FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem and Stefano Domenicali. They had the team representatives too to discuss various points.

Several points were discussed in the meet, starting from the continued check on the sporting and technical rules going forward. A key point was about the bodywork attachment especially in extreme wet weather conditions to reduce spray.

Work is to continue on the bodywork which can be removed when the weather is stable. They are looking at the wheel arches which will help in visibility. Keeping with the tyres, the unanimous decision was to defer the ruling on tyre blanket removal until July 2023.

Regarding the power unit penalty, the F1 Commission is looking at ways that there is a strict rule against drivers and teams who incur extra elements where in current format, they are not helping on the cost side where there is a general limitation of three.

Moving on the activation of DRS, the commission has decided to trial an early activation from 2023 onward especially in the sprint events. The idea is to activate it one lap earlier and if the trial works in 2023, they will implement in from 2024 onward.

Here’s the pointers in F1 Commission:

Regulatory and judicial process review – The Commission was informed that the FIA is undertaking a comprehensive review of the Sporting Regulations for 2024 as part of its continuous commitment to the evolution and refinement of its regulatory processes. FOM and the teams will be consulted throughout the review, with any resultant changes anticipated to be approved by end of April 2023 following standard FIA Formula 1 Governance. Additionally, the FIA will carry out a general review of its judicial process for 2024.

Wet weather update – Driver feedback has suggested that there has been reduced visibility in extremely wet conditions with this latest generation of cars, which is a key determinant on starting, or needing to suspend sessions. Therefore, the FIA commenced a study to define a package of parts aiming to suppress the spray generated when running in wet conditions. The study focused on the following:

• Definition of a standard bodywork kit, aiming to suppress the tyre spray from running in wet conditions by use of minimal bodywork over the wheels (wheel arches).
• Understanding the contribution of surface water picked up through the underfloor tunnels to understand its significance.
• Ensuring that the design does not unduly hinder pitstop tyre changes.
• Seeking additional benefits such as additional lights to improve car visibility.
• Devices only to be fitted either before a race or during a red flag due to extreme wet conditions.
• Preliminary work and an initial concept were presented to the Commission, and the FIA will continue to work to refine the proposals, with further updates anticipated in 2023.

Grid and Power Unit penalties – Possible updates to the penalties relating to Power Unit infringements were discussed by the Commission. It was agreed that the current system is not a strong enough deterrent to teams to make strategic Power Unit changes, and encourages the change of change of more elements than needed once a driver has accumulated more than a certain level of penalty. This ultimately causes higher parts costs and undermines the PU element annual restrictions. This will continue to be discussed at the Sporting and Power Unit Advisory Committees for further analysis and refinement.

Tyre blanket strategy 2023-2025 – The objective of the FIA and FOM remainsto remove tyre blankets for 2024, however following numerous discussions and driver feedback, the Commission decided to delay any final decisions until July 2023, allowing for additional data gathering and testing feedback to fully inform the conclusions.

DRS activation after the start, re-start, or safety car – The Commission approved a proposal to evaluate a method to keep the field closer together and encourage closer racing by bringing the activation of the DRS forward by one lap at the start of a race or Sprint session, or following a safety car re-start. This will be trialled during each Sprint session in 2023 with a view to introducing it for all races in 2024.

Parc Fermé for events that include a Sprint session – Updates were discussed regarding ways to simplify the parc fermé processes at events that include a Sprint session. As previously noted by the Commission, events including a Sprint session place additional operational requirements on the FIA due to the significant increase in Parc Fermé requests between qualifying and the Sprint.

Accident damage allowance – The system in place to deal with the impact of accident damage during a Sprint session will be simplified. The allocation of accident damage allowance will be replaced with a fixed amount per team, per event including a Sprint session. The Commission approved the proposal to increase the forfeit allowance amount for each Sprint from $150k to $300k from 2023 onwards. All other Sprint allowances (minor damages pursuant to Art.4.1(l)(ii) and material damages pursuant to Art.4.1(l)(iii)) will be removed.

Technical and Financial regulations – Minor amendments to the 2023 Technical and Financial Regulations were unanimously approved. Additionally, regulations introducing additional, more stringent requirements for the strength of roll hoops were finalised for introduction in 2024.

“Formula 1 is clearly in a very strong position at the moment, and this growth and prosperity is thanks in no small part to the hard work of all the FIA staff, officials and volunteers and to Stefano Domenicali and his organisation,” said Sulayem.

“I would like to thank them all, and of course also the Competitors represented here at the Formula 1 Commission who have put on a fantastic show this year. Based on recent races, I think we can expect another very exciting year in 2023, and we will continue to make strides to improve the sport across all areas and ensure that the growth we have seen this year continues.”

At the same time, Domenicali added: “Formula 1 has had an incredible season and continues to grow around the world. That would not be possible without the work of everyone involved at the Commission level and all their teams. We are all working hard together to continuously improve the sport for our fans and the President and I want to continue to maximise the best outcomes for the sport so that 2023 can be an even better year for Formula 1.”

F1 Academy:

Formula 1 is delighted to announce the launch of the F1 Academy, an all-female driver category which aims to develop and prepare young female drivers to progress to higher levels of competition including W Series, Formula 3, Formula 2 and Formula 1.

F1 Academy will begin racing in 2023 and will consist of five teams, which will be run by strong and experienced current F2 and F3 teams, each entering 3 cars to make up a 15-car grid. The inaugural season will comprise seven events of 3 races each, amounting to a total of 21 races, plus fifteen days of official testing. The 2023 calendar will be revealed in due course and is likely to include one Formula 1 event weekend.

The car used for the series will be a Tatuus T421 chassis. The turbo charged engine, delivering 165 horsepower, will be supplied by Autotecnica, and Formula 1’s Global Partner, Pirelli, will provide the tyres, as they already do in F3, F2 and F1. The series will be managed by Bruno Michel (CEO of Formula Motorsport Limited), who has the knowledge and experience of running successful junior categories for a reasonable budget and helping drivers to develop.

Most of the time, finding adequate funding for racing has been very challenging for female drivers. Therefore, Formula 1 will subsidise each car with a budget of €150,000 (€2.25m in total) and will require the drivers to cover the same amount, which represents a fraction of the usual costs in a comparable series. The teams will provide the rest of the budget.

The F1 Academy has been created to maximise the opportunity and potential of young female drivers to reach the highest level in motorsport. It will provide young talent currently in go-karting or other junior categories with access to the fundamental level of experience needed before racing in F3 and joining the pyramid to Formula 1.

During assessments of the barriers young female drivers face with entering the F1 pyramid, it became clear that they do not have the same amount of experience as their male counterparts at the same age. The goal is to fill this gap and offer them access to more track time, racing and testing. They will also grow by working with professional teams, who are renowned in motorsport for nurturing young drivers, and who will help them develop the crucial technical, physical and mental preparations.

Formula 1 wants to ensure aspiring female drivers have the best opportunities to reach their potential with an important first step of getting into Formula 3 and progressing through the ranks. The W Series continues to provide a great platform for drivers and the F1 Academy is intended to add an extra route for the next generation of young female drivers, who will race in an environment that will allow them to gain fundamental experience thanks to a great amount of track time.

Stefano Domenicali, President and CEO of Formula 1, said: “Everyone should have the opportunity to follow their dreams and achieve their potential and Formula 1 wants to ensure we are doing everything we can to create greater diversity and routes into this incredible sport. That is why I am delighted to announce the F1 Academy that will give young female drivers the best chance to fulfil their ambitions through a comprehensive programme that supports their racing careers and gives them everything they need to move into F3 and hopefully to F2 and then the pinnacle of Formula 1. The more opportunity there is the better and this is designed to provide another route for the drivers to succeed.”

Ellen Jones, Head of Sustainability at Formula 1, said: “In 2019 we launched our sustainability strategy which included the commitment to build a more diverse and inclusive sport by removing barriers, nurturing talent, and inspiring change. Over the past few years, we have been making progress within our own operations and in the classroom through programmes such as internships and F1 Engineering Scholarships. Today’s announcement marks the next step in inspiring talent behind the visor to help ensure young female drivers get the very best opportunity to begin their professional motorsport career and climb the ladder to the top.”

Bruno Michel, General Manager of the F1 Academy, said: “I am very excited to launch this new category. Diversity is extremely important in motorsport, and with the F1 Academy we will prove that female drivers have what it takes to compete at high levels. I am absolutely convinced that if young women are given the same amount of experience as any other driver, they can successfully make their way through the pyramid. Our goal is to see female drivers on the F3 grid in the next two to three years, and for them to quickly challenge for points and podiums. The aim is to increase the field in the near future, because we hope that this category will inspire more young girls to compete in motorsport at the highest of levels.”

Here’s drivers get together in Abu Dhabi

L'entrada F1 Commission discuss PU penalty, tyre blanket, DRS & more ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.