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Russian F1 GP cancelled permanently; FIA also announces decisions preventing Russians from taking part in motorsports

The actions of Russia in the conflict in Ukraine have been condemned by much of the world community and where, in the past, military actions by other countries would have been initiated – making the conflict even worse – the approach today is to use other non-military means to ‘persuade’ Russia to stop. Economic sanctions are one powerful approach which has had an effect on Russia and various organisations have also taken actions to alienate the country.

The motorsports community has also taken a stand, which started with many of the drivers in Formula 1 expressing an unwillingness to take part in the Russian Grand Prix scheduled as Round 17 in September. The Formula 1 organisation has gone further and terminated the contract with the organisers of the Russian Grand Prix – and not just for this year. The official position is that there will no longer be a F1 event held in Russia although that can well change in future.

The Russian Grand Prix was first run in 2014 and held for 8 years until 2021. The races have been run on a street circuit in Sochi, the host city of the 2014 Winter Olympics. The Mercedes-AMG team has won every year, with Lewis Hamilton winning 5 times, Valtteri Bottas twice and Nico Rosberg once.

Will there be a replacement?
The slot for the cancelled Russian Grand Prix could either be left empty, which means a 2-week gap betwee the Italian GP in Monza and the Singapore Grand Prix. If the organisers must have their 23 rounds, then they would either look for another venue in Europe or even consider one in Asia. Vietnam was preparing for its first-ever F1 race but the COVID-19 pandemic prevented it and it may well try again to be a host. And don’t forget Malaysia also has a F1-ready track…

FIA’s decisions
The FIA – the governing body of international motorsport – has also announced a number of decisions made in relation to the Ukraine conflict. In accordance with the International Olympic Committee recommendations, motorsport events will not be allowed (until further notice) to take place in Russia and Belarus, and no flag/symbol or anthem of Russia/Belarus is to be used in international/zone competitions.

Drivers, competitors and officials are also affected by the same decisions as no Russian/Belarusian national teams can participate in international/zone competitions (eg FIA Motorsport Games). However, Russian/Belarusian drivers, individual competitors and officials are still allowed to participate in international/zone competitions only in their neutral capacity and under the ‘FIA flag’, subject to specific commitment and adherence to the FIA’s principles of peace and political neutrality. The FIA also forbids any display of Russian/Belarusian national symbols, colours, flags (uniform, equipment and car) or the playing of associated anthems at events.

Additionally, representatives from Russian/Belarusian FIA Members are to step aside temporarily from their roles and responsibilities of elected officers/commissions’ members. No FIA grant will be awarded to the Russian/Belarusian FIA Members, and no existing FIA grant funding will be paid to them as well.

“I want to thank the Council members for their prompt action in deciding these measures in the interests of sport and peace. We stand in solidarity with Leonid Kostyuchenko, the President of the Federation Automobile d’Ukraine (FAU) and the wider FIA family in the country. The measures taken today recognise the authority of the FAU in Ukraine and are also aligned with the recommendations recently made by the International Olympic Committee. We are in active discussions with our members as we continue to extend our compassion and support in their time of need. We sincerely hope for a peaceful resolution to their intolerable hardship,” said the new FIA President, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, after chairing an extraordinary meeting of the World Motor Sport Council.

URAKALI and Nikita Mazepin
Among the current teams taking part in Formula 1, there is one Russian driver and one major sponsor – Nikita Mazepin and Urakali, which is a major sponsor of his American-owned team, Haas F1. Understanding the sensitivity of association with anything Russian, Haas removed Urakali’s name from its racing cars before the final day of testing in Spain. Incidentally, Urakali, a fertilizer company in Russia, is owned by Mazepin’s father.

*The URAKALI name disappeared (below) from the Haas F1 racing car on the final day of testing in Spain. URAKALI is a Russian fertilizer company owned by Nikita Mazepin’s father.*

*Nikita Mazein, 23, may not get a chance to continue racing in F1 after having started last year.*

Mazepin’s future with the team has also been uncertain. There are rumours that the 23-year old driver who began driving in F1 last year will likely be dropped by the team although the FIA has stated that it is possible for him to race as a ‘neutral’ party. If he is removed, his place alongside Mick Schumacher could be taken by Pietro Fittipaldi, the team’s reserve driver.

World Rally Championship organisers warn spectators of high-voltage dangers with hybrid rallycars

As reported earlier, the FIA aims to make motorsport more sustainable and more environment-friendly. The pursuit of these objectives cover various forms of motorsport, including the World Rally Championship (WRC) which, this year, sees the introduction of hybrid technology mandatory for what are known as Rally1 cars. The plug-in hybrid unit, including all necessary components and software, will be common, with the potential for more freedom of development in 2024.

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing, Hyundai Motorsport and M-Sport Ford have fully committed to the WRC from 2022 to 2024 and will run Rally1 cars. They will use a plug-in hybrid powertrain with an existing 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine, and must also run on 100% fossil-free fuel to reduce CO₂ emissions.

The system’s output is more than 500 ps, with 100 kW contributed by the electric motor which draws its energy from a 3.9 kWh battery pack. Hybrid Electric Vehicle Zones created close to service parks and ceremonial start areas during all rounds of the WRC will require Rally1 crews to demonstrate that they can run in full electric mode over a specified route highlighted in the roadbook.

New safety issues
The introduction of high-voltage hybrid powertrains brings new safety issues for the crew as well as spectators and the FIA has issued new requirements specifically for Rally1 cars. Firstly, there must be two pairs of Class-0 gloves carried in each car capable of withstanding 1,000 volts. These must be easily accessible for the driver and co-driver in the event of an emergency when they are getting out of their car.

Warnings on exterior of Rally1 cars
On the outside, the Rally1 cars are identifiable by an ‘HY’ graphic on the side door panels. Spectators are being warned to look out for this graphic so that they will take care. In rallies, it is not unusual for spectators to rush to a car that has crashed or gone off the road to assist and if a Rally1 car is damaged in certain areas, electric current could leak onto the bodywork.

The organisers therefore want to ensure that there are no incidents of people being electrocuted, and each car has safety lights on the windscreen and both side pillars. These lights will be green when the car is safe to touch. A flashing red light with an audible warning means a car is unsafe to touch.

Second round underway
The 2022 WRC is currently running its second round in Sweden after the opening round in Monte Carlo last month which was won by M-Sport Ford. TOYOTA GAZOO Racing’s Kalle Rovanpera got off to a strong start during the speed test in his Toyota GR Yaris Rally1. He gets to start first today though that is not necessarily an advantage in a winter rally.

With Sweden not part of Sebastien Ogier’s programme of selected rallies this season, Esapekka Lappi will make his first start with the team’ since 2018. Rovanpera will open the road as the highest-placed driver in the standings after finishing fourth and winning the Power Stage on Rallye Monte-Carlo.

Elfyn Evans was part of the lead battle on Round 1 before a small but costly mistake ended his chances of a strong result. He will hope for a repeat of the championship’s last visit to Sweden in 2020 when he scored his first victory for Toyota. As on every round this season, Takamoto Katsuta will drive an additional GR YARIS Rally1.

M-Sport Ford’s Craig Breen has a strong track record on snow to date. The Irishman is keen to show his ability on the high-speed snow tests in search of a second consecutive podium result. Off the back of his first ever WRC stage win, Gus Greensmith completed a small Norwegian National event in a Ford Fiesta Rally2 to help acclimatise to the specialist conditions and driving style. The young Englishman is aiming to build on his Monte Carlo result and looking for his first loose surface stage win.

The Hyundai Motorsport team, which had a bad first outing of the season, has a previous winner of Rally Sweden – Thierry Neuville who won in 2018. “Rallying is always a bit more spectacular on snow with the studded tyres,” he said . “Usually, as the stages are quite fast, you have to lean into the snowbanks and drive sideways a bit more. You have to be slightly more brutal to get the studs to grip into the ground.”

Closer to Arctic Circle this year
Conditions are extreme, though not unusual for Rally Sweden which is on ice and snow, with temperatures well below 0°C. There is also likely to be rain during the event which is run in the remote forests of north-eastern Sweden, closer to the Arctic Circle. There are 17 stages over 265 kms.

*The various stages of Rally Sweden this year.*

The stages will all be brand-new to the WRC but the characteristics that make it one of the most popular and spectacular rallies on the calendar will remain. Special studded tyres bite into the surface to provide grip on roads that are lined with snow banks, which drivers lean on to carry more speed through the corners.

Hybrid power for new era of World Rally Championship starts this year

Aston Martin provides F1 Safety and Medical Cars again for 12 races in 2022

Aston Martins will again be seen in the lead during F1 races this year as the company again provides Official Safety and Medical cars. The Vantage Safety Car and DBX Medical Car will be used at 12 races while the others will see the cars from Mercedes-AMG. The first appearance of the cars will be at the third round which will be in Melbourne, Australia.

Driven by the FIA’s appointed driver, Bernd Maylander, the Vantage Safety Car has been developed purely for its F1 role by the engineering team at Aston Martin in collaboration with the FIA. Using the experiences from the Vantages that compete in GT events around the world, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Vantage Safety Car has been adapted for maximum speed and handling.

Special features for race use
Extra features on the car are FIA Safety Car livery, bodyside mounted radio antennas, an LED rear numberplate and a bespoke, roof-mounted LED light-bar, developed by Aston Martin. Incidentally, last year’s Vantage Safety Car inspired the Vantage F1 Edition which is the fastest, most track-focused Vantage to date.

Inside the Vantage Safety Car, the driver and passenger have access to the FIA’s Marshalling System, which displays lights corresponding to any warning flags being shown (just as inside each of the F1 cars). For purposes of record and also for spectators worldwide, the car is well covered by cameras inside and out for live TV footage.

550 ps for Medical Car
The DBX Medical Car has an output of 550 ps/700 Nm to give a claimed 0 to 100 km/h times of 4.5 seconds, essential for the SUV to reach an incident site as quickly as possible so that the Dr. Ian Roberts, the FIA Medical Rescue Coordinator, can provide assistance on the spot. The spaciousness of the DBX allows emergency medical equipment to be carried on board. It can therefore carry a lot of equipment, from fire extinguishers to a defibrillator and a large medical kit bag.

Like the Vantage, the DBX Official Medical Car has FIA-approved racing seats equipped with a 6-point safety harness, the marshalling system, and even TV screens so the crew can see exactly what is happening in the race while on stand-by in the pit lane each time the race is on.

“It is a continuing source of pride for myself and the whole company to see our cars playing a crucial role in Formula 1. Vantage and DBX will feature at 12 Grands Prix this year and, as much as I hope they won’t be called upon too often in the races, I think we all know they will be busy again as F1 enters this new era. We’re excited to be part of the show!” said Tobias Moers, CEO of Aston Martin Lagonda.

Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One Team reveals AMR22 racing car for 2022 F1 season

Pink returns to F1 on Alpine’s new racing cars

With BWT (a supplier of water treatment systems) partnering with the Alpine F1 team, the new 2022 racing cars have taken on ‘flipped’ livery with pink becoming the most prominent colour. This unique livery, which highlights the partnership with BWT, will be used for the first two races of the season while the historic blue of the Alpine brand will be maintained.

Second F1 car by Alpine
The BWT Alpine F1 Team’s new car is known as the A522 which is its second F1 car. It has been under development over the past 18 months to meet the significant regulation changes introduced for the 2022 season.

Besides a completely new chassis and car build, the A522 also has an all-new RE22 power unit. The engine specification and packaging has allowed the team some extra freedom in shaping the rest of the car to better exploit the latest technical regulations and adjust for the new E10 fuel specification, E10 which is the next step to sustainable fuels in the sport.

Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon F1 — *Fernando Alonso (left) is a 2-time World Champion, while Esteban Ocon has been in F1 since 2016.*

The team will again have the services of Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon, who were ranked 10^th and 11^th in the Drivers Championship last year. Ocon enters his third consecutive year powered by a Renault engine, while Alonso embarks on a historic and potentially record-breaking 20th season in F1. The 40-year old Spaniard has been World Champion twice (2005 and 2006) and was the youngest world champion, and then youngest 2-time champion in the sport’s history at the time.

*The Alpine A521 in last year’s championship where the team finished fifth in the Constructors Championship.*

About BWT
BWT (Best Water Technology) is Europe’s market leader in water treatment, with the mission to provide water of perfect quality for all purposes, everywhere in the world, directly from the tap, the water dispenser, or the table water filter. Its pink colour symbolizes the company’s mission to ‘Change the World – sip by sip’ and to make it a little bit better every day by implementing the Bottle Free Zone concept. In this respect, BWT will also be deepening its partnership with Formula 1 over the next few years. A multi-year partnership is part of the joint commitment against the use of single-use plastic and for sustainable positive change.

*BWT was earlier involved in F1 with the Racing Point team which was rebranded in 2021 to become the Aston Martin COGNIZANT F1 Team.*

*Besides partnering with the Alpine F1 team, BWT is also a partner with Formula 1 and is committed to eliminating the use of single-use plastic bottles at event facilities.*

“We plan to make the Paddock free of single-use plastic bottles by 2025. To achieve this goal, BWT is providing water stations throughout the Paddock and the Paddock Club where drivers, crew and fans alike can enjoy fresh local water mineralized with magnesium, zinc, and silica in reusable bottles,” a statement from BWT said.

Scuderia AlphaTauri’s AT03 challenger for 2022 unveiled

The reveals of the 2022 Formula 1 racing cars continue this week, starting with Scuderia AlphaTauri’s new AT03. Like all the other contenders in this year’s championship, the AT03 has been engineered to meet the significantly changed technical regulations aimed at not just furthering sustainability in the sport but also promote closer racing.

“I am excited to finally reveal what our 2022 Formula 1 car will look like. It is a completely new era for F1 and we hope that this package will be very strong, following last year’s success,” said Franz Tost, Scuderia AlphaTauri Team Principal. Though finishing 6^th in the Constructors Championship, the 2021 season was the team’s most successful ever since they first raced in 2006 (as Scuderia Toro Rosso).

Same driver line-up
The drivers will be the same as for 2021 – Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda. Frenchman Gasly, who entered F1 in 2017, finished 9^th overall in the Drivers Championship last year and scored one podium (third place in the Azerbaijan GP). Tsunoda began his first season in F1 last year in place of Daniil Kvyat and finished 14^th in the championship.

The livery of the AT03 retains the white and navy blue colours that have become familiar with the team but with changes in the paint scheme. Gasly’s car will carry the number 10, while Tsunoda’s will have 22 which, incidentally, will be his age this year.

Honda power units, Red Bull name
The AT03 will run with Red Bull power units which are actually Honda power units supplied by Red Bull Powertrains, a F1 power unit maker owned by Red Bull. Red Bull Powertrains was established last year to take over the operation of F1 power units developed by Honda after the Japanese carmaker ceased its involvement in F1 at the end of the 2021 season. Naturally, the Red Bull Racing Team will also be using the same V6 engines during 2022.

The area where the biggest and most obvious changes can be seen – and the most important new element – is hidden underneath the car! A ground effect floor features two tunnels so that a much greater percentage of a car’s downforce is generated from the underside of the car.

Among other 2022 rules, the front and rear wings are much simpler in design, with no rear wing endplates or bargeboards. Each team can interpret the rules as they wish, but within very strict templates for what is permissible.

New requirements for chassis design
The chassis is the core element around which the entire AT03 is built, able to absorb more energy than before in front, rear and lateral impact tests. The 2022 design also requires the power unit to separate from the chassis in a crash without damaging the fuel cell. To further protect the driver in a frontal impact, the nose section is longer. All these changes have seen the car’s minimum weight increase by approximately 5% to 795 kgs.

Another very visible change is the switch from the 13-inch wheels that have been the norm in F1 since the 1960s, to 18-inch wheels, with just one supplier – BBS Motorsport – for all 10 teams. Aesthetically more pleasing and modern, the real function of the bigger low-profile tyres supplied by Pirelli is to make them less prone to overheating, so that the drivers can push harder for longer. However, they still have a performance drop-off to allow for interesting strategy choices. The compounds are also new this year, with Pirelli producing 5 different dry weather compounds of which three are chosen for each round, along with two wet weather options.

*Yuki Tsunoda in the AT02 during the 2021 Formula 1 World Championship.*

Both drivers are pleased with the looks of their new cars but do not know how they will perform with all the changes resulting from the new regulations. “We won’t know the true performance of the AT03 until we get it out on track at pre-season testing in Barcelona but so far, I think it looks great and I am very excited to get this new season started,” said Gasly. Last month, to get them warmed up for the new season, the drivers ran their 2020 car, the AT01, at Imola.

Formula E/Round 3: First-ever win for TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team

Mexico City was the venue for the third round of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship yesterday, with 22 drivers whizzing around the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez track in the all-electric single-seaters. A perfect mix of long, fast straights and a technical infield section produced intense races and high drama for the 40,000 spectators who turned up.

The circuit in Mexico City, part of which passes through the Foro Sol stadium, has new artwork that represents the modern, progressive, innovative values of Formula E’s race locations. The patterns draw on the rich cultural history of Mexico and combine this with modern-day artistic influences featuring a diverse tapestry of colours and patterns celebrating traditional techniques such as weaving, ceramics and mosaics, in a modern way.

Fresh from a third place finish in Round 2 (which was run at the same venue as Round 1 in Saudi Arabia last month) and a strong opening weekend for his new team, ROKiT Venturi Racing’s Lucas di Grassi would be the one to watch in Mexico. The Brazilian has made two trips to the top step in Mexico City, most recently in Season 5 after his first win two seasons earlier. Teammate Edo Mortara is looking to continue his fine opening weekend form and stay at the top of the drivers’ standings after winning the second of two races in Saudi Arabia.

Mortara’s win followed reigning World Champion Nyck de Vries’ victory in Round 1, as the Mercedes-EQ team immediately got to grips with the all-new Duels qualifying format. De Vries and teammate Stoffel Vandoorne dominated to take a one-two finish in the opening race of the seaon. The German manufacturer, which will leave Formula E after this season, sits just a point behind its customer outfit in the Teams’ World Championship, so Mercedes power is currently the benchmark.

The race
The competition was as close as it has ever been in the championship. Pascal Wehrlein led team mate Andre Lotterer in a historic 1-2 for the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E, with the pair finishing 9 seconds ahead of the other cars, and both driver and team sealing their first ever victories in the championship. It was a perfect race for Porsche, with Wehrlein leading from Julius Baer Pole Position and fending off standings leader Mortara early on. The pair did drop into the pack behind the Swiss-Italian and Jean-Eric Vergne (DS TECHEETAH) for a brief period but gained a mighty energy advantage on the rest while still matching the leaders’ pace.

Into the final 15 minutes, Wehrlein and Lotterer picked their moment and passed Vergne and then Mortara for the lead. As they crossed the finish line, they were well ahead of the rest and could more than making amends for the heartbreak in Puebla in last season.

“It was very important for me [to win here], I have raced here a couple of times in the Championship and been close so many times. Here in Mexico last year was heart-breaking to finish in P1 but then get disqualified. It was payback this weekend and it feels amazing,” said Wehrlein.

Vergne was able to take third, with teammate da Costa battling to fourth after a number of skirmishes. Mortara did enough to hold on to the Drivers’ World Championship lead with fifth – the Venturi more marginal on energy than the Porsches and DS’ as the race wore on.

Reigning champion de Vries managed to end in sixth, a second ahead of Envision Racing’s Robin Frijns. Sebastien Buemi (Nissan e.dams) showed a stronger turn this time out to take eighth and points, just ahead of teammate Maximilian Guenther and Jake Dennis (Avalanche Andretti). Mortara thus heads the Drivers’ standings by 5 points over de Vries, with Wehrlein jumping to third with the Round 3 race win.

From Mexico City, the championship moves back across the Atlantic Ocean to Italy, where Rounds 4 and 5 will be run in Rome on April 9 and 10.

Formula E: Mercedes-EQ dominates opening round but ROKiT Venturi Racing grabs lead after Round 2

McLaren Racing reveals 2022 F1 car as well as Extreme E and IndyCar challengers

The MCL36 is McLaren Racing’s new Formula 1 car for the 2022 world championship which sees significantly changed technical regulations. The new regulations – which include a switch to 18-inch wheels – have forced the engineers to completely overhaul their designs but the FIA expects that the racing will become closer and more exciting for fans.

With aerodynamics being crucial to performance, Formula 1 cars are designed with features to generate as much downforce as possible. At the same time, this must be achieved without sacrificing performance so it’s a challenge which engineers faced when developing the MCL36.

Gulf Oil racing car inspiration
The new bodywork, described as having ‘speed and elegance… very vibrant’ by McLaren CEO Zak Brown uses similar colours as before but with a different livery. It has ‘Fluro Papaya’ as the dominant colour which will certainly make the car easily identifiable on the track. The blue (lighter than in 2021) is similar to that used by Gulf Oil in its racing cars before, and the racing link with the oil company goes back to 1968.

More sustainable fuel
McLaren will continue to use the Mercedes power unit in the MCL36 which, apart from being improved, has been retuned to run on E10 fuel instead of E5. This is the most significant regulation change of the hybrid era began in 2014. The change is part of the FIA’s move towards making motorsports a sustainable activity and fuels must use sustainable ethanol. The engineers have had to optimize the combustion process but just how well the engine will run on E10 fuel will only be known during official pre-season testing towards the end of this month.

The drivers are the same ‘Commonwealth pair’ as in 2021 – Daniel Ricciardo from Australia and Lando Norris from Britain. Ricciardo, who finished 8^th in the Drivers’ Championship last year, began racing in 2011, while Norris, aged 22, entered F1 with McLaren in 2019.

*Lando Norris in the McLaren Racing MCL35M at a round of the 2021 F1 World Championship.*

McLaren Racing finished fourth in the championship last year with their highest points finish since 2012 that included one race win during the year. They have 20 world championship titles to their name and will be trying just as hard in 2022 to add another. The new regulations are helpful, in a way, in levelling the playing field again as each team has to now start to make their car more competitive from essentially the same ‘base’. The promise of closer racing could also be advantageous for some drivers.

*2022 Arrow McLaren SP Team IndyCar racing cars*

IndyCar and Extreme E challengers
Also unveiled at their base in England was the team’s IndyCar and Extreme E challengers. In addition, the livery of team’s esports programme, McLaren Shadow, was also shown to the world. The team also presented the 2022 Arrow McLaren SP team of Pato O’Ward and Felix Rosenqvist who will start their 2022 IndyCar campaign at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, Florida, on February 27.

*Emma Gilmour and Tanner Foust will race with this all-electric rallycar in the Extreme E series this year.*

The McLaren Extreme E all-electric off-road racer will be used for the second season of the all-electric off-road series which began last year. The drivers will be Emma Gilmour from New Zealand, and 4-time US rallycross champion, Tanner Foust. Gilmour, who has also taken part in the WRC, becomes the first female McLaren racing driver, in-line with the team’s commitment to showcase and inspire diversity in motorsport. The McLaren Extreme E team will be on the starting line for the first round of the 2022 Extreme E Championship at the Desert X-Prix in Saudi Arabia next weekend.

A McLaren F1 racing car for just RM799.90!

Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One Team reveals AMR22 racing car for 2022 F1 season

The Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One Team is the third of the F1 teams to show its new racing car which will be used in the 2022 championship The car retains the overall green bodywork with new sponsor’s logos all over. The sponsors this year include Aramco, the Saudi Arabian oil and gas company which is one of the largest companies in the world.

Designated the AMR22, it is totally new to meet the significant changes in technical regulations for the sport. These include aerodynamic aspects – which are expected to allow for more overtaking – as well as a switch to larger 18-inch tyres that give a new look. However, as the new regulations will be around a while, the design of the car will continue to evolve and might even have changes when the first round starts.

The Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One Team will continue to have 4-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll (whose father is Executive Chairman of the company) as its drivers.

Aston Martin returned to F1 racing only last year and after a difficult season, finishing seventh in the world championship. But it is no stranger to GP racing as Aston Martins raced in the top-level category 100 years ago, starting with the 1922 French Grand Prix.

*Sebastian Vettel in the AMR21 during the 2021 season which the team finished overall seventh in the world championship.*

Aston Martin says that data from the 2021 season demonstrates that the global platform of Formula 1 is heightening brand desirability and product familiarity for Aston Martin as the sport enjoys growing popularity worldwide. Its website traffic increased by 15% when there were races on, compared to non-race Sundays. This increased to 25% on weekends where the company supplied the Vantage and DBX as Official F1 Safety & Medical Cars.

Lawrence Stroll, Executive Chairman of Aston Martin Lagonda, said: “The return of Aston Martin to Formula One has been a monumental moment for the brand, with transformative impact for our performance credentials and global awareness. Through the race team and our status as the Official Safety and Medical Car of Formula One, we have been able to showcase our product and test new technologies on the world’s greatest circuits.”

Official testing will take place at the Bahrain International Circuit over 3 days on March 10-12. The first round of the 2022 Formula 1 World Championship season will also be at the same circuit on March 20.

F1 tyres to go from 13 inches to 18 inches in 2022 (w/VIDEO)

Maserati to officially return to racing in 2023 with a team in Formula E

Like most Italian carmakers, Maserati has motorsport in its long history. Twelve years after its founding by the Maserati brothers, Alfieri, Ernesto and Ettore, the first racing car to bear the Trident logo was the Tipo 26 which was entered in the 1926 Targa Florio in Italy. It won first place in its class with Alfieri at the wheel.

During the 1920s and 1930s, the Maserati garage built racing cars for sale all over the world, while also producing road cars with the high performance demonstrated on the racetracks. 31 years after Alfieri’s first victory, Juan Manuel Fangio won the Formula 1 World Championship with a Maserati in 1957. The last time Maserati entered a single-seater was with Maria Teresa De Filippis, the first woman to qualify in F1, who drove a 250F.

Maserati’s last appearance in racing was during the first decade of the 21^st century with the MC12. Its teams won 22 races and 14 Championship titles across Constructors’ Championships, Drivers’ Championships and Teams’ Championships in the FIA GT from 2004 to 2010.

In 2023, the brand will again be seen on the starting grid of races as it joins the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship in 2023 for Season 9. It will be the first Italian brand to compete in Formula E, the all-electric single-seater world championship that will be the 8^th season this year.

Maserati will be the second brand in the Stellantis Group to participate in Formula E, the other being DS from the Citroen affiliate which has been racing since 2018. The company’s racing team is now developing a new racing car which conforms to the Gen3 regulations which will see the fastest, lightest and most powerful Formula E racing car ever. The Gen3 is the world’s most efficient racing car featuring a series of industry-leading design, production and technological innovations.

Maserati’s entry into Formula E is in line with its move and commitment to electric mobility. This strategy will see the introduction of Folgore, a new sub-brand that will have a range of battery electric vehicles (BEVs). Folgore versions will be available for the Grecale, GranTurismo and GranCabrio, as well as the MC20.

“We are very proud to be back where we belong as protagonists in the world of racing. We are powered by passion and innovative by nature. We have a long history of world-class excellence in competition and we are ready to drive performance in the future. In the race for more performance, luxury, and innovation, Folgore is irresistible and it is the purest expression of Maserati. That’s why we decided to go back to racing in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, meeting our customers in the city centers of the world, taking the Trident forward into the future,” said Davide Grasso, CEO of Maserati.

Maserati’s confirmed entry is good news for the event’s organizers with Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz ending their participation. McLaren has also indicated its interest in taking part in Formula E but has not given details of when they might start. With the accelerating impetus of electrification, some other brands might also see it useful to be in Formula E to show their strengths in the EV field.

Since inception in 2014, Formula E has provided dramatic racing action on the streets of cities around the world such as New York, Monaco, Berlin, Mexico City, London and Rome. For manufacturers like Nissan, Porsche, NIO, Mahindra, Jaguar, DS, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi, developing cars for racing has led to finding new solutions in increasing energy efficiency, enhancements in battery range and advances in powertrain development.

Formula E’s Gen2 EVO racing cars will run for the last time in Season 8 in 2022, with Gen3 being used in 2023

Just as Formula 1 will have a major change in technical regulations from the 2022 championship, Formula E – the all-electric single-seater championship – will also transition to an entirely new generation of racing cars in Season 9, which will be in 2023. Referred to as ‘Gen3’, the new racing car is described as ‘a machine created at the intersection of high performance, efficiency and sustainability’. Formula E manufacturers are set to take delivery of Gen3 cars in the first quarter of 2022 for further intensive development testing on and off the track, and will use the Gen2 cars for Season 8.

World’s most efficient racing car
A series of design, performance and sustainability innovations in the Gen3 car make it the world’s most efficient racing car, with at least 40% of the energy used within a race produced by regenerative braking during the race. It will be the first formula car with both front and rear powertrains: a new front powertrain adds 250 kW to the 350 kW at the rear, more than doubling the regenerative capability of the current Gen2 car to a total of 600 kW.

The Gen3 racing car is sleeker and its design is inspired by the aero-efficient delta wing of a fighter jet, optimised for street racing. The Gen2 EVO racer (below) will be used for the last time in 2022 during Season 8.

The new powertrain will use an electric motor delivering up to 350 kw of power (470 ps), making it capable of a top speed of 320 km/h, with a power-to-weight ratio that is twice as efficient as an equivalent 470 ps internal combustion engine.

It will also be the first formula car that will not feature rear hydraulic brakes due to the addition of the front powertrain and its regenerative capability. Being lighter and smaller than the Gen2 car, it wil enable faster, more agile wheel-to-wheel racing.

Aligned with Life Cycle Thinking
The Gen3 racing car is the first formula car aligned to Life Cycle Thinking with a clear path towards second life and end of life for all tyres, broken parts and battery cells. In addition, it will be net-zero carbon, maintaining the championship’s status as the first sport to be certified as net-zero carbon since inception.

All carbon fibre broken parts will be recycled by an innovative process from the aviation and aerospace industry into new fibres reusable for other applications. A pioneering process will deliver 26% sustainable materials into the composition of tyres.

Additionally, new financial regulations will be introduced October 1, 2022 for Season 9. There will be 2 sets of financial regulations to be introduced by the FIA to monitor and control spending levels of competitors, one for teams and one for manufacturers. This will enhance long-term financial sustainability of Formula E, supporting retention of current participants and attracting investment in the championship from new manufacturers, teams, investors and commercial partners.

ROKiT Venturi Racing fastest in testing
Meanwhile, after a combined total of more than 4,100 laps (equal to almost 14,000 kms) of pre-season testing at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Spain, ROKiT Venturi Racing’s Edoardo Mortara recorded the fastest time of the week during the final session as the test drew to a close.

DS TECHEETAH’s double champion Jean-Eric Vergne placed the next best time of the week, just 0.041 seconds back, while another Mercedes-EQ powertrain closed out the top three times of the week, with Vandoorne’s Silver Arrow 02 also within a tenth of-a-second.

The top 17 drivers recorded times faster than Antonio Felix da Costa’s pole position qualifying lap from last season. Their first race of Season 8 will be in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia at the end of next month, followed by another 15 races in major cities of 9 countries, with the final round in South Korea in August.

*The last time the teams were in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, was in February this year for the opening round of Season 7, which was also Formula E’s first night race.*

*The final round of Season 8 will be held in Seoul, capital city of South Korea.*

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