Motorsport News 03/06/21

UK motorsport operators have branded the recent return of spectators to national racing and rallying events a success and now look ahead to remaining Covid restrictions being eased. Thousands of fans flocked to the opening round of the British Rally Championship, which took place at Oulton Park on Monday. Race events opened their gates 10 days ago when fans were welcomed back for the first time in 2021, with the line-up led by Brands Hatch’s British GT championship season-opener. The remaining Covid restrictions on English attendances are due to be lifted on June 21. Circuit operator MotorSport Vision told Motorsport News: “It’s been brilliant having fans trackside again – there was a superb atmosphere and we hope to welcome many more people as the summer progresses.”…

The guest in the hot seat of the Motorsport News readers’ questions this week is Mark Webber, a man who’s been there and done that in Formula 1. Now, fans get to benefit from his opinions as one of the pundits on Channel 4’s coverage and he is a man generally acknowledged to provide a lot of straight-talking sense. So when he was asked about the idea of the new F1 Sprint qualifying format (a sprint race in normal language) by one of our readers, his opinions are worth listening to. He makes a point: explaining what the reasons and the purpose of the Sprint qualifying is to the viewers, and its importance in the overall scheme of a Formula 1 weekend, is something that skilful broadcasters are going to have…

Helio Castroneves has entered the Indianapolis 500’s pantheon by last Sunday taking his fourth victory in the famous race, becoming only the fourth to reach that total. The 46-year-old, competing for Meyer Shank Racing in a part-time entry as one of the oldest drivers in the field, in a thrilling race made his decisive move for the lead with two laps to go, sweeping by Ganassi’s Alex Palou. Castroneves therefore joinsAJ Foyt,Al Unser Sr and Rick Mears as the only four-time winners of the US single-seater blue-riband event. The Brazilian’s first Indy 500 win was two decades ago in 2001 while his most recent previous triumph was in 2009. It also was the Meyer Shank team’s first-ever IndyCar win, and Castroneves’s first Indy 500 victory not with Team Penske. His latest win sparked sensational…

The FIA’s deputy president for sport Graham Stoker will stand for election as FIA president later this year on a ticket alongside Le Mans legend Tom Kristensen. British barrister Stoker has since 2012 worked alongside incumbent president Jean Todt, whose mandate ends this year. Stoker also is a former president of the Motor SportsAssociation and has been an FIAWorld Motor Sport Council member since 2004. He is standing under an ‘FIAforAll’banner. Nine-time Le Mans winner Kristensen, who took over as president of the FIA’s drivers’ commission at the start of 2016, is standing for deputy president for sport as part of Stoker’s leadership team. The election is due to take place in December, with the only other confirmed candidate so far being former rally driver Mohammed bin Sulayem. Speaking at his election bid launch,…

Ferrari has discovered that the problem stopping Charles Leclerc taking up his Monaco Grand Prix pole position stemmed from a cracked left-rear wheel hub sustained in his qualifying accident. The crack was on the opposite side of the Ferrari from where Leclerc made impact with the wall and was not visible in the garage for the checks made to the car before the Monegasque attempted to start the race. Leclerc’s Ferrari appeared fine when it took to the track for its pre-race installation lap, but when Leclerc tried to accelerate from the hairpin the hub failed and in so doing damaged the driveshaft, leaving the car with no left-hand-side drive. Ferrari will as a result of this case be reviewing its procedures. It was initially unclear if the driveshaft problem was related to…

Six FIAWorld champions are on the World Touring Car Cup’s 22-strong driver line-up for its 2021 season opener this weekend at the legendary Nurburgring Nordschleife. Four-time World Touring Car champion Yvan Muller, his nephew reigning WTCR champion Yann Ehrlacher, multiple tin-top champion Gabriele Tarquini and returning 2012 WTCC champion Rob Huff are among those competing in the revered 14-mile circuit’s doubleheader this Saturday. The entry also includes five car brands – Audi, Cupra, Honda, Hyundai and Lynk & Co – 11 teams and 12 nationalities as well as nine drivers aged 25 or under. A total of 63 race wins are shared by the line-up. The 2021 WTCR itinerary includes 16 races across eight rounds, with five meetings in Europe followed by a three-round Asian leg in the Autumn.…