Motorsport News 26/08/21

Le Mans winner Mike Conway says he feared he would lose his shot at overall glory at Le Mans when his Toyota developed a fuel pressure problem. The GR010 Hybrid machine, which he shared with Kamui Kobayashi and Jose Maria Lopez, was slowed by a similar problem that had afflicted the sister car of Kazuki Nakajima, Brendon Hartley and Sebastien Buemi. The issue hit the leading Hypercarclass machine with six hours to go and the leading crew slowed its pace and shortened its run between pitstops. Kobayashi brought the car home two laps ahead of the second Toyota. Conway, who had four previous podiums at Le Mans before winning outright, said: “It was a hard race. We knew we had an issue on the car for the last six hours and that could…

Briton Mike Conway turned 38 in the days leading up to the Le Mans 24 Hour race. Three days later, he awarded himself the birthday present he has been chasing for seven years: overall victory in the Le Mans 24 Hours. Along with Kamui Kobayashi and Jose Maria Lopez, he opened a new chapter at La Sarthe when he brought the GR010 to the finishing line some two laps ahead of the sister hybrid machine of Sebastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Kazuki Nakajima. For Conway, it was his fifth podium in the race and he has now finally conquered it. The 2019-2020 World Endurance Championship title winner really only had one box left to tick during his time with Toyota and now he has done it. Conway’s name might not be…

Further question marks have been put on the Formula 1 calendar for 2021 with the cancellation of the Japanese Grand Prix, which had been due to take place on October 10. The Suzuka event has been axed as the government stepped in to halt the event due to the increasing number of Covid cases in the country. Grands prix in China, Canada, Singapore and Australia have all been scrapped for 2021, which means the 12-race run in for the World championship is facing increasing uncertainty. There is also a threat to the proposed Turkish Grand Prix, due to take place on October 3 as a replacement for the Singapore race, as that country is on the red list for restricted travel. Formula 1 bosses are hopeful that a solution can be found to make…

Mercedes has confirmed that it will quit Formula E just a week after claiming the drivers’and teams’titles for the 2020-2021 season Nyck de Vries wrapped up the crown at the Tempelhof circuit in Berlin on August 15, while he and team-mate Stoffel Vandoorne helped the German firm seal the teams’silverware ahead of Jaguar Racing. Mercedes has said it will now put its focus on the electrification of its road-going car range rather than contest the fully electric single-seater category. A statement read: “As part of the new strategic direction, the brand has deliberately chosen to shift resources for this accelerated ramp-up of electrification, including the development of three electric-only architectures to be launched in 2025. “Therefore, Mercedes will reallocate resource away from its FIA Formula E World championship programme and towards applying the…

The GT World Cup and Formula 3 Macau Grand Prix will not take place this season due to strict quarantine restrictions in region. The international elements of the famous street race were cancelled last year due to the pandemic and local races were run instead. It had been hoped that limitations would be eased in time for the 2021 clashes, which were due to take place from November 17-21. The statement said: “With the majority of competitors taking part in the FIA events coming from outside the region, this presents the drivers, teams and suppliers with conditions that are difficult to comply with. “As a result, the FIA Formula 3 World Cup and FIA GT World Cup will not take place in 2021, with the aim of returning next year.”…

Graham Stoker, the Briton who has put himself forward as an FIA presidential candidate to take over from Jean Todt, has launched his manifesto under the title ‘FIA For All’. He will headline his campaign with Tom Kristensen put forward as the deputy president for sport. Among the thrust of his pledges are to open up new entry-level categories and working with universities to ramp up engineering capabilities. He will also encourage the FIA’s desire to see more women in motorsport and open up diversity and inclusion. Stoker, who is currently the deputy to Todt, said: “I’m delighted to present this comprehensive vision for the future of motorsport worldwide. We want to build on the strong work of the FIA over the last 12 years and create a sport that is truly progressive,…