Automotors

Lancia’s sporting director Eugenio Franzetti has explained why the brand is making its rally return in Rally4 and what is required to make a comeback to the World Rally Championship.Lancia, the winner of a record 10 WRC constructors’ titles (1974-1976, 1983, 1987-1992), is set to return to the rally stages next year with its all-new Ypsilon Rally4 car. Officially launched last month, the car …Keep reading

Yuki Tsunoda believes he would have led the Brazilian Grand Prix had the safety car and subsequent red flags not been called for at Interlagos.The Japanese driver was one of a select few to opt for a switch to extreme wet tyres as rain pelted the Sao Paulo circuit, with he and team-mate Liam Lawson at one stage lapping faster than those around them by almost five seconds per lap.But with others …Keep reading

Last Saturday, after crashing out on the third lap of the sprint race at Sepang while fighting his rival for the win and the championship crown, Francesco Bagnaia was both hurt and bewildered. The reigning world champion was unable to find a rational explanation for the five zeroes he has accumulated so far in the sprint races which, as he himself pointed out, have been decisive in leaving Jorge …Keep reading

Francesco Bagnaia’s hopes of retaining the MotoGP title are hanging by a thread. The factory Ducati rider is facing a 24-point deficit to Pramac rival Jorge Martin heading into the final round of the season in Barcelona next week.Although the odds have been against Bagnaia for some time, it was his crash from second place in the Malaysian Grand Prix sprint that has effectively sealed the deal in …Keep reading

“They’ve turned that around quickly” an impressed colleague said to this writer on entering the media centre at the Jarama Circuit on Tuesday morning, as a banner reading “2024/25 Madrid Official Testing” was being erected.While the sight of a banner might seem like one of the least impressive feats at a race track, the quick turnaround of the wording perfectly encapsulated the mighty …Keep reading

The rain-affected Brazilian Grand Prix delivered what was perhaps the biggest shock podium of the Formula 1 season so far.Max Verstappen’s charge from 17th on the grid to the front had been anticipated by very few people, and it marked his first triumph since the Spanish Grand Prix back in June.Right behind the Dutchman were the two Alpine cars of Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly, who scored more …Keep reading

Sauber has signed Gabriel Bortoleto to partner Nico Hulkenberg in the 2025 Formula 1 season, the veteran and rookie effectively teaming up in the future Audi squad.Bortoleto had been courted by the Hinwil-based outfit for some time, with his ties to McLaren as an academy member the main obstacle to a deal.McLaren team principal Andrea Stella however made clear that he wouldn’t stand in his …Keep reading

After an extended period of mulling over its driving options for Formula 1’s 2025 season and beyond, Sauber had found itself in a binary choice between experience and youth. The Swiss outfit, which becomes Audi in 2026, has opted for the latter; Valtteri Bottas will leave the team at the end of the year, and F2 championship leader Gabriel Bortoleto will join in the Finn’s place.Read …Keep reading

Valtteri Bottas will leave Sauber after the 2024 Formula 1 season but is understood to already be close to signing back with Mercedes as its reserve driver from next year.In what has been an awful year for Sauber – still 2024’s only point-less team – Bottas’s place beyond the deal he struck when leaving Mercedes at the end of the 2021 season, when Sauber was branded as Alfa Romeo, was …Keep reading

NASCAR has penalized the No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota of Bubba Wallace, the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet of Austin Dillon, and the No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet of Ross Chastain.The penalties are the same for the all three drivers and teams across the board: A $100,000 fine, the loss of 50 driver and owner points, and one-race suspensions for crew chiefs, spotters and key team …Keep reading