Home//Autosport/21/11/19/In This Issue
Autosport|21/11/19A hint of the F1 battle we could enjoy next season?We’re starting to build a handful of examples of the Lewis Hamilton versus-Max Verstappen battle that everyone has been anticipating. Hamilton came out on top in the Hungarian Grand Prix in August, but Verstappen turned the tables in Brazil last weekend (see page 18).Passing Hamilton twice in a race is no mean feat, and the fact that Verstappen didn’t lose his cool after being baulked by Robert Kubica’s Williams indicates the Red Bull ace is becoming a more mature driver.That Verstappen can defeat Hamilton in a wheel-t0-wheel fight is not in doubt; the question is whether he can beat the Mercedes star over a full season. Losing pole in Mexico thanks to needlessly ignoring a yellow flag (and then ranting about it) suggests he could still give away points in…2 min
Autosport|21/11/19Ferrari: engine is unchangedFORMULA 1Ferrari insists that it has changed ‘nothing’ on its power unit following the latest Formula 1 engine-rules technical directives, despite rivals suspecting its straightline speed advantage has been reduced.Rival teams had been querying how Ferrari was achieving its power advantage in recent months, before the FIA issued technical directives regarding fuel-flow rules and the use of liquids as combustion. Ferrari started on pole for six straight grands prix, but has not done so at the past two races.Team principal Mattia Binotto is adamant that the shift in performance has nothing to do with its engine. “No, no, we didn’t change nothing,” Binotto said in an interview with Sky. “What we did is to read carefully the TDs because you need to meet up with whatever is a new technical…1 min
Autosport|21/11/19Confident Interlagos says Brazilian president is wrongFORMULA 1Brazilian Grand Prix promoter Tamas Rohonyi is ‘99%’ confident the race will stay at Interlagos, despite a mooted switch to a new Rio track for 2021.Sao Paulo’s current contract runs out at the end of 2020 and the fate of the race after that date has not yet been decided. F1 chiefs have been in discussions with representatives from a new track in Rio, with Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro supporting that project and declaring earlier this year that it was “99%” likely to happen.But Rohonyi is sceptical about the Rio plan and said his confidence in keeping the race at Interlagos was “the same percentage that the president mentioned”.He sees Interlagos as the only realistic option for a Brazilian GP. “Either F1 remains here or there will be no…1 min
Autosport|21/11/19DOES RED BULL MIX WITH MACAU?Daniel Juncadella Was a Red Bull Junior in Formula BMW in 2008-09 before getting dropped. Moved into F3 and won Macau Grand Prix in 2011.Antonio Felix da Costa Wasn’t even supposed to do Macau in 2012. But when he was passed over in favour of Daniil Kvyat for a Toro Rosso drive, da Costa took Kvyat’s F3 seat for Macau – and won. Returned and won again in 2016.Alex Lynn Macau victory in 2013 propelled him onto Red Bull scheme, and he won GP3 title in its colours in 2014, before splitting to pursue his own path.Dan Ticktum Won Macau in 2017 and 2018 as a Red Bull Junior, before getting dropped in summer of 2019.Richard Verschoor Won Russian GP support F4 race in 2016 to earn a Red Bull…1 min
Autosport|21/11/19F2 star Ghiotto switches to Aston Martin GTGT WORLD CHALLENGELuca Ghiotto may have a chance to seal the runner-up spot in this year’s Formula 2 standings, but he’s already decided that his future lies beyond single-seaters. The Italian will race for the R-Motorsport Aston Martin sportscar sqaud squad next season.Ghiotto, 24, has signed up for a full programme across the GT World ChallengeEurope and will drive an R-Motorsport Aston Martin Vantage GT3 in both the endurance and sprint segments of the contest formerly known as the Blancpain GT Series. After four seasons of GP2/F2, he has decided that the time has come to “be a proper professional driver, to make money from my racing”.“The change from single-seater racing into a professional GT3 team is an important career step for me and offers a new perspective for my…1 min
Autosport|21/11/19Special deals for Autosport PlusYour GP weekend companionEvery session covered - the results, the talking points and biggest controversiesCoverage that goes beyond the trackComprehensive driver news, team announcements and the latest from the paddockWorld-class technical insightOur technical editors bring you unparalleled analysis of the cars and technologyRate the drivers after every raceRead Autosport’s Driver Ratings of every driver’s performance and submit your ratingsBreaking News as it happensSUBSCRIBE NOWFor just £4.99 a monthAutosport.com/plus…1 min
Autosport|21/11/19Flying the electric privateer flagGiven the quality and strength – particularly in resource terms – of its opposition on the Formula E grid, it’s hard not to be impressed by Envision Virgin Racing. Sure, there are other smaller-scale teams that get results and shine occasionally, but, as it was the only customer squad in the last FE campaign, what it achieved was remarkable.Without works status, the team lost the 15-day private testing programme it had enjoyed when previously partnered with DS, and it spent the 2018-19 pre-season rapidly learning about its new Audi technology before struggling to get a satisfactory set-up together in the few days of testing (three from Audi’s allocation and the three-day official pre-season test) it did get.From there, though, the team scored three race wins (keeping alive its streak of…4 min
Autosport|21/11/19QUALIFYINGWhether or not you consider this to be Max Verstappen’s second pole position, as the record books suggest, or third, as he emphatically insists (given he counts the one in Mexico last month that never was), it’s remarkable a driver who is regarded by many as the fastest in F1 – and is unquestionably one of the two quickest – has such a poor strike rate in 101 attempts. Given the Red Bull is so rarely a threat, he has to nail it when he has the chance, and Verstappen did exactly that at Interlagos.While Ferrari had a significant advantage on the straights on Friday, it was much reduced in qualifying to the point where Verstappen lost only a tenth and a half. That, combined with his pace in the…2 min
Autosport|21/11/19Stroll denied shot at top-five finishRacing Point driver Lance Stroll was denied a potential fifth-place finish when he collected debris from the Ferrari collision that damaged his front-right suspension.The Racing Point driver kept a low-profile in the race after pulling a great double pass on Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez on the opening lap, but was on a one-stop strategy that closely mirrored Carlos Sainz’s when he was forced to retire late on. At that point, he was between the two Alfa Romeo drivers, who finished fourth and fifth, so he could have finished strongly had he been as effective as Sainz in the final laps on old rubber.“It’s a shame because up until then I was on a one-stop strategy, my tyres were performing well, and we were definitely in a position to grab…1 min
Autosport|21/11/19Verschoor provides a new Macau shockThe Macau Grand Prix is renowned for creating drama, but last weekend it excelled itself by producing one of the genuine giantkilling stories of the past motorsport decade, as the Dutch combination of Richard Verschoor and MP Motorsport won Formula 3’s biggest race at their first attempt on the Guia track.The nature of the street circuit means that drivers with bucketloads of commitment, bravery and sheer skill can make the difference by taking big risks, brushing up against the barriers and leaving their braking until the last moment in a bid to defeat allcomers.Luckily, none of that had altered for 2019 despite heavy changes to the track. With seven improvements to help safety (see panel, p35), there was potential to ruin the charm and adversity this venue offers, and as…10 min
Autosport|21/11/19Marquez makes his Marc one more timeMOTOGPVALENCIA (ESP)17 NOVEMBERROUND 19/19The final round of MotoGP’s longest season ended in familiar fashion, with Marc Marquez overcoming a challenge from 2019’s rookie sensation Fabio Quartararo to win his 12th race of his sixth title-winning campaign in the premier class.Though the riders’ championship was sewn up in October in Thailand, and the manufacturers’ crown sealed for Honda in Japan, Marquez still had one final task: to secure the teams’ title to complete Honda’s second successive triple-crown success. Marquez has almost single-handedly carried the Repsol Honda Team this year, with team-mate Jorge Lorenzo struggling with injuries and difficulties adapting to the RC213V, and only able to score 28 points to Marquez’s 420.The reigning champion had strong pace throughout practice, but was once more expected to come under threat from Sepang race…5 min
Autosport|21/11/19STEPPING INTO RENE RAST’S SHOESAudi’s DTM season was one of utter domination as Rene Rast swept to a commanding drivers’ title – his second in three years – and the Four Rings also took the manufacturers’ and teams’ titles with relative ease. And its success was made all the more impressive by the fact that it was achieved during a period of regulatory uncertainty as the full switch to Class One rules threw up continued headaches for Audi, BMW and the R-Motorsport Aston Martin squad.In celebration of Audi’s superb 2019 season, Autosport was offered the chance to drive Rast’s RS5 DTM at Hockenheim, just days after the DTM season wrapped up. The 2018 McLaren Autosport BRDC Award winner, Tom Gamble, was the man chosen to get behind the wheel after his season racing an…7 min
Autosport|21/11/19NEW STRATEGY FOR NATIONAL MOTORSPORTMOTORSPORT UKMotorsport UK has unveiled a new strategy for the 2020 season and beyond in a bid to promote the sport more, but clubs are concerned by a significant increase to event permit fees.British motorsport’s governing body has revealed a raft of changes for next year as it tries to simplify its structure and raise additional income to allow it to reinvest more into the sport.It is aiming to increase income in order to not only fund more promotion but also offer more education and training initiatives, as well as pay for future innovation projects. By investing in these key areas, Motorsport UK hopes to try to secure the future of motorsport in this country against a backdrop of reducing numbers of licence holders and an ageing demographic of participants.Motorsport…5 min
Autosport|21/11/19Kremers wins Villeneuve-backed British Formula 4 Carlin driveBRITISH F4Dutch karting champion Marijn Kremers has secured a funded seat with Carlin in British Formula 4 next season after winning a shootout co-organised by 1997 Formula 1 champion Jacques Villeneuve.Dutch driver Kremers, 21, triumphed in the competition held by racing school FEED Racing France at Magny-Cours last week.Villeneuve founded the school alongside Patrick Lemarie, a test driver for the BAR F1 squad while Villeneuve was at the team, and the duo were part of a judging panel for the shootout that also featured 1996 Monaco Grand Prix winner Olivier Panis.Nearly 100 drivers registered for the scholarship, and these were whittled down to a final six who contested the shootout in Mygale F4 cars.“It feels great!” said Kremers, who this year won the CIK-FIA KZ world karting title. “I see…1 min
Autosport|21/11/19BRIAN FISHER 1941-2019OBITUARYThree-time Castle Combe Special GT champion Brian Fisher, who died peacefully last week following a long neurological illness, was among the West Country’s best-loved club racers.A celebrated Bridgwater hairdresser, Brian personified popular period perception of the genre. Fashionably long locks, cheeky chappie banter and a penchant for flash cars made him one of the Somerset town’s most recognisable characters.Fisher started competing in the mid-1960s, initially in autocross, sprints and hillclimbs, before switching to the circuits. Racer Tony Dolley, a friend for more than 40 years, recalls watching him at a local autocross: “Most of the competitors had Minis, Imps and Escorts, but Brian, being Brian, raced a Porsche 911!” Castle Combe historian Pete Stowe’s first record of Fisher competing there was in Clubmans in 1967, when he finished a class-winning…1 min
Autosport|21/11/19The price of change“Sitting on your hands and doing nothing is not really helping anybody,” says Motorsport UK CEO Hugh Chambers. Certainly no one can claim Chambers and David Richards have sat on their hands since taking over at what was then the Motor Sports Association nearly two years ago.Ever since Richards became chairman of the governing body, there has been a noticeable focus on the grassroots and an acknowledgement that more needed to be done to promote the sport in this country. And he and Chambers have acted on that.In the rallying world, they’ve extended the life of belts and seats to help bring costs down. They’ve brought in a wide-ranging benefits scheme for members that gives discounts at a whole host of relevant companies. They’ve even changed the name of the…4 min
Autosport|21/11/19THE EARLY PIONEERSGetting blown off course on a windy day and distorted vision through the cheap Perspex screen – as Hugo Spowers, Wil Arif and Rob Wilson attest, the Formula Ford Prowess was not a polished product.But given the relentless push for safety in motorsport, which has resulted in the adoption of the halo in an increasing number of single-seater series and an IndyCar-style fin for BRDC British Formula 3 in 2020, could the Prowess be considered an early pioneer of enhanced co*ckpit protection?Certainly, it was a far more complete design than the Formula 2 Protos driven by Brian Hart in 1967. Similarly, its co*ckpit screen was used to enhance the aerodynamics but, despite employing wood in the construction, the Protos was overweight and rode too high.“Well it was Perspex,” says Spowers…2 min
Autosport|21/11/19MARK SKAIFEWhen five-time Australian Supercars champion Mark Skaife looks back on his career, there isn’t much that he regrets. As well as his title success, his stats include six Bathurst 1000 victories and a further three crowns in Australia’s premier single-seater series, Formula Brabham. In 1992 he won all three – a feat unlikely ever to be repeated.But 1992 wasn’t entirely rosy for Skaife, as a failed foray into European F3000 left him licking his wounds.Then 25, he was riding high when, with support from the Winfield cigarette brand, he joined Mike Earle’s 3001 International squad for the final two rounds at Nogaro and Magny-Cours in place of Allan McNish, who was struggling for budget.“It was a little toe-in-the-water exercise to hopefully do the full year in 1993,” recalls Skaife. “It…2 min
Autosport|21/11/19PEUGEOT COMMITS TO LE MANSRETURNWORLD ENDURANCE CHAMPIONSHIPPeugeot almost pulled the rug from under the World Endurance Championship on the eve of its rebirth back in 2012. Seven years on, the French manufacturer has gone a long way to securing the WEC’s future with the announcement last week that it will be entering the new top class for hypercars in 2022.It means that the hypercar division now has a commitment from a third major car manufacturer to go with those of Toyota and Aston Martin, though admittedly Peugeot will not be joining its ranks until the start of the 2022-23 campaign. That may be only season three of the category, but Peugeot’s news is still a major fillip for the WEC.That’s because the hypercar entry will be the third sportscar coming from a marque with…3 min
Autosport|21/11/19Ogier set to join Evans at Toyota if Citroen pulls outWORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIPThe World Rally Championship driver market is about to be turned upside down, with Elfyn Evans due to be announced with Toyota Gazoo Racing this Monday, Citroen set to pull out, and Sebastien Ogier poised to be wearing his fourth different colour of overalls in five years in 2020.As we went to press, Evans’s departure from the M-Sport Ford line-up and Citroen’s pullout – at least in the medium term – were the only certainties. In the wake of Peugeot’s return to a hybrid World Endurance Championship and a continuation of DS’s participation in Formula E, parent company PSA has confirmed that Citroen won’t be present in the WRC from 2022 onwards.But service-park speculation insists that Citroen will be gone long before then, and some reckon it’ll be…3 min
Autosport|21/11/19Jaguar environmentalist in environmental JaguarJAGUAR ETROPHYEx-Champ Car racer Mario Haberfeld will make his first racing appearance in more than a decade when he takes part in this weekend’s Jaguar I-PACE eTrophy Formula E support races in Riyadh.The 43-year-old Brazilian, who now devotes his life to saving wild jaguars, will replace Caca Bueno, who is away on V8 Stock Car duty, at Jaguar Brazil Racing. It will be 1998 British Formula 3 champion Haberfeld’s first international racing appearance since he drove in the Le Mans Series at Monza in 2008.“When I got the invitation from the Brazilian team to replace Caca Bueno it was quite a surprise as I haven’t raced for over 10 years, but I’m sure it will be a really fun weekend,” said Haberfeld. “I’m inquisitive to drive the I-PACE, as this…1 min
Autosport|21/11/19IN THE HEADLINESWSR WINS EXPO AWARDSBritish Touring Car Championship leviathan WSR can’t stop winning prizes. Hard on the heels of its drivers’ (Colin Turkington) and manufacturers’ (BMW) BTCC titles, the Sunbury powerhouse won two gongs at the Professional MotorSport World Expo Awards in Cologne. WSR won the European Race Series Team of the Year, while its BMW 330i M Sport was hailed as the International Race Car of the Year.TUKA ROCHA 1982-2019A respected competitor in World Series by Nissan, Italian Formula 3000, A1GP and Superleague Formula, Brazilian Tuka Rocha has died as a result of injuries sustained in a plane crash. He was 36. Rocha, who had been racing in recent seasons in V8 Stock Cars, was aboard a plane that crashed last Thursday upon landing. One person was killed at the…1 min
Autosport|21/11/19Carlin bids for Le Mans entryASIAN LE MANS SERIESSingle-seater powerhouse Carlin is four races away from a Le Mans 24 Hours slot as it spearheads the entry list for the new season of the Asian Le Mans Series, which gets under way at Shanghai this weekend with its strongest grid yet in its top LMP2 category.Seven of the current-generation LMP2 cars, which are permitted for the first time, make up an 11-car field in the class. This division, plus the LMP3 and GT classes, carries the prize of a guaranteed Le Mans entry for the champions.Carlin branched out into sportscars this year, campaigning the unloved Dallara P217 in the European Le Mans Series, but has endured a trying season that has featured two heavy crashes. The best finish was ninth at Barcelona with Harry Tincknell,…2 min
Autosport|21/11/19DRAWING BOARDNEW FRONT WINGS DIP A TOE IN 2020As the 2019 Formula 1 season enters its final stages, some of the focus during Friday’s practice sessions has shifted towards next year. Since the majority of 2020’s fleet of cars will be evolutions of this year’s machinery, the teams are able to bolt on new parts to investigate different concepts.In particular, new front wings can be most easily tested as they are largely unaffected by the rest of the car. Most tellingly, the changes tried by several teams are all in a similar arrangement to Ferrari’s front-wing concept, which uses the inboard section to produce downforce and the outboard section to induce outwash.Red Bull, one of the last teams left using a ‘deep pan’ front wing this year, has tested a completely…2 min
Autosport|21/11/19YOUR SAYGreat race, shame about the blame gameI simply couldn’t believe the collision between Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc last Sunday, but what was predictable was Vettel blaming Leclerc. It was clear from the head-on pictures that Vettel had turned in, much the same as the 2010 Turkish Grand Prix with Mark Webber.Mattia Binotto was diplomatic in the extreme, not wishing to blame either driver until he had spoken to them, but again he only had to watch the head-on TV shots rather than study telemetry and talk to the drivers.Beyond that, a terrific race; plenty of drama and good racing. It was a pity that Alex Albon lost his podium place, but at least Lewis Hamilton held his hand up and took the rap, a lesson probably lost on Vettel.Neil…2 min
Autosport|21/11/19TRACKSIDE VIEWIn Brazil, Senna lives. Or at least, the legend does. Particularly in the week of the Brazilian Grand Prix, with the ‘Obrigado Senna’ festivities marking a quarter of a century since the death of Ayrton Senna. On Sunday morning, two hours ahead of the start of the 2019 race, the years roll back as the familiar red-and-white McLaren, with a Senna at the wheel, rolls from the old first corner onto the modern Senna S.It isn’t the 1991 car in which Senna took his legendary, and long-awaited, first home F1 victory – instead the McLaren-Honda MP4/4 that never raced at Interlagos. It isn’t the ‘real’ Senna either, with nephew Bruno at the wheel and visibly not quite comfortable in the close confines of the co*ckpit. But the reaction is utterly…2 min
Autosport|21/11/19Ferrari to discuss ‘silly’ collision with driversFerrari planned to meet Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc at Maranello this week to deal with the fallout from the “silly” crash between its drivers in the Brazilian Grand Prix.Leclerc passed Vettel for fourth place at the first corner towards the end of the race and the two made contact on the run to Turn 4 moments later, when Vettel tried to repass on the outside.Though Vettel moved over on his team-mate and triggered the clash, neither driver was punished as the stewards determined nobody was wholly at fault.Team principal Mattia Binotto said an internal review would be held this week in private but would not be about establishing blame or whether to punish either driver: “Today they were free to fight. They knew that. But ‘free to fight’ doesn’t…2 min
Autosport|21/11/19Alfa Romeo cashes inAlfa Romeo pairing Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi delivered the team’s best results of the season with fourth and fifth after running in the points for much of the race.Raikkonen started eighth and held the position on the first lap, running an orthodox two-stop strategy. This meant he was behind Carlos Sainz, on aged medium tyres, at the final restart, but a combination of understeer in the turbulent air and not having as much battery charge as hoped thwarted Raikkonen’s effort to overtake. He did briefly nose ahead out of Turn 5, only to slip back behind Sainz.Giovinazzi spun on his final Q2 run so started 12th, but jumped to 10th at the start. He mirrored Raikkonen’s strategy and was rewarded with a career-best fifth place.Alfa Romeo has struggled for…1 min
Autosport|21/11/19TRYING TO MAKE MACAU SAFERMacau Grand Prix organisers moved the inside barrier at the Lisboa corner inwards for this year’s running of the event in response to Sophia Florsch’s 2018 crash.Florsch skated along the barrier after hitting the back of Jehan Daruvala’s car on the long run to Lisboa, and was then launched over the apex kerb, into Sho Tsuboi’s car, through the catch fencing and into a photographers’ box.The car was allowed to launch because there was a gap between the inside wall and the kerb on the approach to the corner, but this was significantly reduced for the 2019 race weekend. The idea was to direct cars away from the apex kerb and towards the runoff area beyond the corner, which has been widened.The fencing behind the corner remained in place, supported…2 min
Autosport|21/11/19Marciello finally breaks his Macau duckGT WORLD CUPMACAU (MAC)16-17 NOVEMBERRaffaele Marciello soaked up a weekend’s worth of pressure from Porsche drivers Laurens Vanthoor and Earl Bamber to win the FIA GT World Cup for Mercedes in Macau.Early signs were that the Rowe Racing-run Porsches would be unstoppable, Bamber leading Vanthoor in comprehensive 1-2s in both free practice sessions. But it was Marciello who triumphed in qualifying, the GruppeM driver banking what Mercedes-AMG customer boss Stefan Wendl would later describe as a “perfect” lap to steal pole from the Porsche drivers.That track-position advantage would prove to be crucial. The Porsches were quick across the mountain section, but the Mercedes had the edge through the final sector. And that made Marciello hard to catch on the run to Lisboa.That’s precisely how the qualifying race played out, Marciello…4 min
Autosport|21/11/19WHY THE FORMULA E BATTLE IS ABOUT TO STEP UP A GEARIf 2018-19 was the season Formula E grew up with its Gen2 car, 2019-20 is when it gets serious. While not to denigrate what came before, Mercedes and Porsche don’t mess around.These motorsport giants are about to take their electric-racing bow, and will join Audi and BMW in the FE whirlwind. All four luxury German OEMs racing in the same series – it’s another achievement for FE to savour, and the championship is understandably keen to promote this battle throughout the upcoming campaign. It feels historic, but is it actually so significant in terms of previous motorsport competition?“I reckon GT3 blows that as a first out of the water,” says one Autosport sage. With all four German giants effectively sending factory squads to major sportscar races – the Nurburgring and…9 min
Autosport|21/11/19DRIVING LESSON FROM RASTAudi’s DTM champion Rene Rast was on hand to provide support to those getting a run in the RS5 DTM, and explained the key points for Tom Gamble to get to grips with before the Brit climbed aboard.“You have a two-lap peak of the tyre which you need to extract, and then after those two laps maybe the lap time will drop off by one-point-something seconds at Hockenheim,” said Rast. “Obviously managing the brakes, getting them in the right temperature window, is important.“Getting the power down is not that easy with the 600 horsepower we have nowadays. He will have a lot of wheelspin out of the slower-speed corners, so you have to be very careful on corner exit to not get too much oversteer. I think that will be…2 min
Autosport|21/11/19Tandy aims for more Ka outings after Brands winENDUROKA2015 Le Mans 24 Hours winner Nick Tandy wants to contest more EnduroKa races after his JTR team’s victorious debut in the IndyKa 500 at Brands Hatch last weekend.JTR entered two cars in the event, with Porsche factory driver Tandy joined by Lewis Selby, Elliot Mason and early-1990s Formula Renault UK ace James Rhodes in the winning machine.“We could have done with a bit more practice with four drivers, but the cars are fun to drive and a pleasure to build and race,” said Tandy. “Co-driver Lewis Selby is our front-wheel-drive expert for set-up and driving. What I like is the whole team aspect in long-distance racing. You can get a buzz from the short stuff, but here your team-mates become friends and the motivation is not to let the…1 min
Autosport|21/11/19Reid to contest full Mini campaignMINI CHALLENGE JCWFormer Sunoco 240 Challenge winner Kyle Reid will contest a full season of the Mini Challenge JCW series next season when it joins the British Touring Car Championship package.Reid, 30, dominated the Cooper Pro series in 2018 to earn his Sunoco Daytona prize drive but work commitments on an oil rig limited his outings this season. He only contested one JCW round at Brands Hatch, but failed to finish any of the races. He now plots a full season with Excelr8 Motorsport.“I can’t wait to get stuck into the JCWs next year and start to show progress,” said Reid. “I’ve bought a brand-new car and running with Excelr8 was a bit of a no-brainer for me because the team really know what is best for the car and…1 min
Autosport|21/11/19New series for Mazda MX-5 Mk4 launched by BRSCC for 2020MAZDA MX-5sThe British Racing and Sports Car Club plans to introduce a new series for the Mk4 version of the Mazda MX-5 next year.The club runs a very successful series for the Mk1 model of the sportscar, and will amalgamate its two series for the Mk3 edition – the MX-5 Supercup and Super Series – for next season.“We very much plan to run this as a series and it would come along with the [existing] Mazda package, but probably not at all of them – we will probably have four standalone events for the Mk4s,” said BRSCC competitions director Dominic Ostrowski, who added the cars could also compete in the new Clubsport Trophy.“It probably won’t be until May, just as a way of introducing it and trying to build a…1 min
Autosport|21/11/19Tandy takes IndyKa 500 victoryMSVRBRANDS HATCH16-17 NOVEMBERA colourful and incident-packed IndyKa 500 race brought the Brands Hatch season to a close in darkness on Sunday and gave victory after 432 laps in 500 minutes – or eight hours 20 minutes – to JTR’s Nick Tandy and co-drivers James Rhodes, Elliot Mason and Lewis Selby.Tandy ended a short opening stint by stopping early to refuel and swap drivers during a safety-car period. This helped the JTR team to overcome a two-lap penalty for a refuelling infringement to finish four laps in front on the road, reduced to a two-lap victory margin. The Le Mans winner completed more than 100 laps in darkness on his dash to victory, setting the race’s fastest lap on the 365th tour.Second was taken by Octane Junkies (Adam Smith, Martyn Smith,…3 min
Autosport|21/11/19WHAT YOU NEVER KNEW YOU NEEDED TO KNOWBOOK REVIEWFORMULA 1 – THE KNOWLEDGERRP £35.00If you thought the Dirk vs Jorg vs Yvan Muller World Touring Car Championship bouts of the mid-2000s were confusing, then feel for the poor Aintree circuit commentator. He had to differentiate between Henry, Mike, Dennis and Trevor Taylor – all unrelated – at the 1959 British Grand Prix, the occasion when most drivers with the same surname attempted to enter a Formula 1 world championship event.That’s the quirky essence of David Hayhoe’s Formula 1 – The Knowledge: Records and Trivia since 1950, an updated and extended version of his self-published 2016 original, which boasts input from several prominent motorsport historians and statisticians, including Forix founder Joao Paulo Cunha.Hayhoe, the statistician for the well-loved Autocourse annuals since 1991, has compiled an enviable base of…4 min
Autosport|21/11/19FROM THE ARCHIVEJuan Manuel Fangio drops the starting flag – and, even taking into account the compressed perspective of a long-lens shot, appears to place himself in mortal peril – at the commencement of the 1969 Zeltweg 1000km. Heading his way is the #29 Porsche 917 of Jo Siffert/Kurt Ahrens Jr, which went on to win the race, completing 170 laps of the Osterreichring in 5h23m36.98s, just over a minute ahead of the #33 Lola-Chevrolet T70 Mk3B of Jo Bonnier/Herbert Muller. The #9 Mirage-Ford M3/300 of Jacky Ickx/Jackie Oliver retired after 99 laps with a steering issue.For classic motorsport DVDs head to dukevideo.comFor more great photographs, visit motorsportimages.com…1 min
Autosport|21/11/19Design legend Murray eyes joining hypercar WEC fieldWECGordon Murray was adamant that the McLaren F1 would never race, but it didn’t end up doing too badly on the track. Nearly a quarter of a century after the F1 GTR’s 1995 Le Mans 24 Hours victory, he has revealed that his latest sportscar, the T.50, could have a future in the World Endurance Championship’s hypercar division.The Formula 1 design legend has admitted that a dialogue with WEC promoter and Le Mans organiser the Automobile Club de l’Ouest about the Gordon Murray Automotive T.50 opened some time ago. He also explained that there has been interest from customers wanting to race the car after the unveiling in June of the car’s specification, including a bespoke four-litre normally aspirated V12 developed in conjunction with Cosworth.“The people who run the series…2 min
Autosport|21/11/19Bathurst aims for international tin-top enduroBATHURST INTERNATIONALAustralia’s famed Mount Panorama circuit is to host a new endurance touring car race at the end of the 2020 season, with the aim of attracting a 55-car international field.The 500km Bathurst International will be held in late November or early December and will be run for the TCR category, which has exploded across the world in the past half-decade and was successfully introduced to Australia in 2019 (right). If the plans reach fruition, it will be the most international field assembled since the Bathurst 1000 ran to Super Touring rules in 1997 and 1998.The organising Australian Racing Group is also planning support races for Australia’s new big-banger S5000 single-seater category, which would almost certainly mean an obliteration of the track’s lap record, plus LMP3 sports-prototypes and Trans-Am muscle…1 min
Autosport|21/11/19Verschoor plots Macau leg-upFORMULA 3Richard Verschoor is hoping his shock Macau Grand Prix victory will help “open doors” for his future, following a two-year struggle after being dropped by Red Bull.The 18-year-old Dutchman toiled in the 2017 Formula Renault Eurocup with MP Motorsport and was let go at the end of it by the energy-drinks giant. MP offered him a lifeline with a half-season in GP3 in 2018 and a full year of FIA Formula 3 this term.Verschoor failed to score a podium in FIA F3 with MP, which is regarded as a relative minnow. But he beat one of the category’s hottest prospects – Red Bull junior Juri Vips – to win F3’s biggest race.“I feel like for the first time in a long time I did everything I could to win…1 min
Autosport|21/11/19Carpenter plays down Hulkenberg link, snaps up van KalmthoutINDYCAR SERIESEd Carpenter Racing has dismissed speculation that it could field Renault Formula 1 refugee Nico Hulkenberg at the road and street tracks in next season’s IndyCar Series, and was instead set to confirm 2019 Indy Lights runner-up Rinus van Kalmthout as replacement for Spencer Pigot, who was let go last week, as Autosport closed for press.As recently as late August, team owner Ed Carpenter told Autosport that he intended to retain 2015 Indy Lights champion Pigot (above) as his full-time driver, while obliquely inferring that 2016 Lights champ Ed Jones – who shares the #20 car with oval specialist Carpenter – would be dumped after a very disappointing season.But Carpenter has decided to get rid of both drivers, and van Kalmthout – who races under the name Rinus VeeKay…1 min
Autosport|21/11/19SILVERSTONE DROPPED FROM WRX SCHEDULEWORLD RALLYCROSSThe British round of the World Rallycross Championship at Silverstone has been dropped from the 2020 schedule, just two years after moving from Lydden Hill.For the first event at Silverstone in 2018, the circuit and WRX promoter IMG jointly promoted the Speedmachine Festival, which included live music and street food. IMG promoted the second Festival itself, but says it will not run the event next year.“One of the reasons we went to Silverstone was to utilise the whole facility, not just the rallycross track,” said WRX boss Paul Bellamy. “What we found is, as the whole car industry moves to electrification, there was less budget for car manufacturers to put people in their ICE [internal combustion engine] cars to test them. Subsequently it meant that the likes of Peugeot…1 min
Autosport|21/11/19Who is the real Pierre Gasly?Is Pierre Gasly the hard charger who has excelled during the second half of the Formula 1 season with Toro Rosso, or the struggler who failed to perform for Red Bull’s A-team in the first half?The answer is both, and neither. F1 is a complicated business, and evaluating performance is a tricky task given the multitude of contributing factors. What is clear is that Gasly is very much at home in the Toro Rosso environment, with the style demanded by the car, and has responded to a potentially career-breaking relegation brilliantly.To put some numbers on it, he’s scored points in five of his eight starts back at Toro Rosso and outperformed team-mate Daniil Kvyat both on qualifying and race performances. While Kvyat has endured some misfortune, there’s no doubt who…5 min
Autosport|21/11/19MAX’S REMINDER OF THE RED BULL THREAT“VERSTAPPEN HAD TO WORK FOR IT, EVEN THOUGH HE COMFORTABLY TOOK UP THE LEAD AT THE START”Max Verstappen and Red Bull were the class of the field at Interlagos, assisted by a Honda engine package that thrives at altitude and a car that flew in the twisty middle sector. Early on, he was on target to control the race from start to finish, but this was not a straightforward Brazilian Grand Prix. Instead, he had to make two passes for the lead and negotiate a couple of late-race safety cars to prevail.On Friday, the talk was of the apparent return of Ferrari’s straightline supremacy. But come qualifying Verstappen only gave away a tenth and a half to the red machines on the straights and seized pole by 0.123 seconds from…12 min
Autosport|21/11/19Sainz one-stops to first podiumCarlos Sainz Jr claimed his first F1 podium finish in 101 starts after finishing fourth on the road and being promoted when Lewis Hamilton was hit with a five-second penalty for causing a collision with Alex Albon.The McLaren driver started last after suffering an ignition wiring problem on his first flying lap in Q1 and opted to take a fresh Renault engine. He started on soft tyres, working his way past the Williams drivers, Daniil Kvyat, Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez in the early stages to run 15th, and later on passed Lance Stroll. He also benefited from the collision between Daniel Ricciardo and Kevin Magnussen.Sainz switched to medium tyres after 29 laps and gambled on running to the end. This allowed him to get ahead of the Alfa Romeos.…1 min
Autosport|21/11/19Ricciardo recovers after five-second penaltyDaniel Ricciardo recovered from a five-second penalty after a collision with Kevin Magnussen to finish sixth.The Renault driver attempted to pass Magnussen for 13th place on lap seven into the Turn 4 left-hander. He had the inside line – and the Haas driver left room – but Ricciardo clipped the inside kerb and locked up. This tapped Magnussen into a spin and gave Ricciardo damage, sending him to the pits.“I tried to avoid it,” said Ricciardo. “I got onto the inside kerb to create as much space as possible and I skipped into him. As soon as I hit him I was like, ‘Please don’t spin’, and he spun. I don’t want that because obviously it’s not nice for him, it doesn’t make me look the best and I knew…1 min
Autosport|21/11/19VERSTAPPEN, GASLY AND SAINZ THREE OF A TOP-SCORING KINDMERCEDES8 LEWIS HAMILTONQualified third in the third-fastest single-lap car, then jumped Vettel at the start. Executed an undercut pass on Verstappen but didn’t have the battery to hold him back. A risky move led to a clash with Albon, but deserves credit for putting the Mercedes in the victory mix on a difficult weekend.6 VALTTERI BOTTASNever seemed to get things quite hooked up, lagging 0.175s behind Hamilton in qualifying. An aborted one-stop attempt cost him track position to Leclerc, which he was struggling to regain despite a tyre advantage when his engine, which had been losing oil, let him down.FERRARI4 SEBASTIAN VETTELPerformed well in qualifying, and would at least have been ahead of Verstappen on first-run pace without an error at the last corner. Would have been a solid third…5 min
Autosport|21/11/19IN THE HEADLINESILOTT RETURNS…Ferrari junior Callum Ilott missed his simulator session before making his F3 return with the Sauber Junior Team in Macau. Despite that, he was immediately on the pace, but it didn’t all go to plan. The Formula 2 racer (above) set the sixth quickest time in the first practice session, but not before he had turned the brake bias the wrong way as the system is the opposite way around in the F3 car from the F2. In his fifth attempt at the event, he finished sixth. Ilott is expected to remain in F2 next year.…AND FLORSCH RETURNS…Sophia Florsch’s return to the site of her spectacular crash in 2018 did not go to plan. Florsch, who has been competing in Formula Regional this season, made her FIA F3 debut…1 min
Autosport|21/11/19Busch takes his second crownNASCAR CUPHOMESTEAD (USA)17 NOVEMBERROUND 36/36Kyle Busch won the final race of the NASCAR Cup series season at Homestead-Miami Speedway to claim his second title and end a 21-race winless streak.The Toyota driver (below), one of three Joe Gibbs Racing entrants with a shot at the crown in the finale, beat team-mate Martin Truex Jr to add to his 2015 success. Truex dominated the early part of the race, winning the first stage and leading a total of 103 laps, but ultimately had to settle for second place in both the race and the championship for the second year in a row.After a pitstop blunder, which led to the wrong tyres being fitted to the front of his car, 2017 champion Truex’s hopes of a second crown faded on lap 121…2 min
Autosport|21/11/19‘I DON’T THINK THEY WILL COME AND KICK OUR ASSES’That was Jean-Eric Vergne’s prediction of his DS Techeetah team’s chances against Mercedes and Porsche in 2019-20, days before he sealed his second crown last season. But, now he’s seen them on track – and ‘raced’ them – at Valencia, does he still feel the same?“Yeah,” says Vergne at his squad’s official season launch as part of the promotional E-DS Week at the luxurious Molitor hotel in Paris last week. “Because if somebody had come with something revolutionary we would have seen it.”Vergne is certainly confident that Porsche has not found a magic bullet thanks to his strong friendship with former team-mate Andre Lotterer, who left DS Techeetah with a year left on his contract.“I know if he thinks they have something amazing I would feel it,” says Vergne. “It’s…2 min
Autosport|21/11/19AUDI RS5 DTM TECHNICAL SPECChassis CFRP monocoque with integrated fuel cell, tubular steel frameEngine two-litre, longitudinal, inline-four, spark ignition with petrol direct injection, four-valve technology, double-overhead camshaft, efficiency combustion process, exhaust turbocharger with intercooler limited to 3.5 barEngine management Bosch MS 7.4Fuel system central high-pressure injection, rail pressure 350 bar, fuel flow limited by regulations to 95kg/h (push-to-pass: 100kg/h)Power output more than 610bhp; approx 30bhp boost with push-to-passTorque more than 650NmDrive rear-wheel via driveshaftClutch four-plate CFRPTransmission semi-automatic six-speed with paddleshiftDifferential adjustable plate-type limited slipSteering servo-assisted rack and pinionSuspension independent front and rear, double wishbones, pushrod system with spring/damper unit, adjustable gas pressure dampersBrakes hydraulic dual-circuit, light alloy monobloc calipers, ventilated front and rear carbonfibre discs, infinitely manually adjustable front and rear brake balanceWheels forged aluminium, front: 12x18 inches; rear: 13x18 inchesTyres Hankook, front: 300-680-18;…1 min
Autosport|21/11/19Barcelona round completes Clio Cup 2020 calendarRENAULT CLIO CUP UKThe final round of the relaunched Clio Cup UK has been confirmed, with the series joining up with its French and Spanish equivalents at Barcelona at the end of next year.The series will move to the British GT support package for 2020, having previously raced alongside the British Touring Car Championship, and will be supported by Renault Sport Racing France after Renault UK withdrew its funding. It had already been confirmed that the Clio Cup would appear at five of the British GT events and with Clio Cup France at Magny-Cours in September.The Barcelona finale will run on 7-8 November.Prospective teams and drivers had a first chance to look at the new fifth-generation Clio at Renault’s Formula 1 base in Enstone last weekend as the series was…1 min
Autosport|21/11/19IN THE HEADLINESTRIBUTE FOR MARTIN DOWNThe last Champion of Brands FF1600 event of the year was contested for the Martin Down memorial trophy as a tribute to the late Getem builder Martin Down, who died a week before the Brands finale. Down built his first FF1600 Getem in the 1970s with Alan Brunning and challenged the establishment for 40 years. Down’s son Jason scored two fourth places in his Getem Mygale on Saturday and was sent out first in qualifying with a gentlemen’s agreement that nobody would pass for a lap.VSCC CALENDAR ANNOUNCEDThe Vintage Sports-Car Club has confirmed a reduced programme of race meetings for 2020, with a four-event schedule concluding with a return to Mallory Park on 23 August. The season starts at Silverstone, as usual, on 18-19 April before taking…1 min
Autosport|21/11/19Hat-trick of wins for Collins in NZFORMULA 5000McRae GM1 racer Michael Collins made a perfect start to his New Zealand Formula 5000 Tasman Cup Revival Series campaign last weekend, winning all three races in the opening round at the Circuit Chris Amon Manfeild.The Christchurch driver, who gave five-time champion-elect Ken Smith a run for his money last year, qualified on pole, heading off Grant Martin (Talon MR1A) by 0.92s. Aucklander Martin ran him closest in Saturday’s race, and repeated in Sunday’s pair.Behind them, David Banks (Talon MR1) and Aaron Burson (McRae GM1) shared the third places. Lola trio Brett Willis (T330), Glenn Richards (T400) and local Kevin Ingram (T332) jostled with them on Sunday. Ex-hillclimb king Ingram – 1983-84 national Formula Ford champion in his self-built Keram – bested at fifth.Period F5000 ace Smith was a…1 min
Autosport|21/11/19SPOWERS’ DESIGN PROWESSFew cars blur the aesthetic lines quite so much as the Formula Ford Prowess. A Perspex windscreen wraps around its scuttle and sweeps over the driver’s head, but it doesn’t form a complete roof, so the car is neither a true open or closed-co*ckpit racer.It only adds to the Prowess’s divisive charm and popularity, and some might say the bizarre creation has looks only a mother could love. Others would argue that particularly the second-generation example still looks futuristic some three decades on.The car takes its name from its creator, only not in the conventional Ferrari or Lamborghini sense. Hugo Spowers – Prowess being an anagram of his surname – studied engineering at the University of Oxford and during that time co-founded the Dangerous Sports Club. Naturally, getting involved in…9 min
Autosport|21/11/19WHAT’S ONINTERNATIONAL MOTORSPORTFormula ERound 1/12Diriyah, Saudi Arabia22-23 NovemberTV Live Eurosport 2, BBC Online, Fri 1200, Eurosport 2, BBC Online, Sat 1200Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHYRound 1/8Diriyah, Saudi Arabia22-23 NovemberDTM/Super GTDream RaceFuji, Japan23-24 NovemberLivestreamMotorsport.tv, Sat 0020, 0515, 2355, Sun 0515MRF ChallengeRound 1/3Dubai, UnitedArab Emirates22-23 NovemberBrazilian Stock CarsRound 11/12Goiania, Brazil24 NovemberAustralian SupercarsRound 15/15Newcastle, NewSouth Wales, Australia23-24 NovemberTV Live BT Sport 1, Sat 0415, BT Sport 3, Sun 0415Asian Le Mans SeriesRound 1/4Shanghai, China24 November…1 min
Autosport|21/11/19QUIZ1) Who, what, where, when?2) Who is this?This inventive character drove himself to explore new boundaries and beyond.He started off running up the hill before finding his feet on the flat. He used his ingenuity to make his own mark and soon became a national champion.The flightless bird took to the wing in a great migration that was whipping up a storm. He beat the green hell to serve notice of his intent, before defying his age to claim the spoils down the runway.He followed the trend by going it alone and instilled national pride a long way from home.With a bow tie providing a big bang, he had the best of both worlds. As he pushed the envelope he paid the ultimate price.However, his legacy had been established and…1 min
