Motorsport News December 15, 2022

Motorsport News was the first to tell you, but the news is now confirmed. Ott Tanak is on his way for a homecoming with M-Sport to drive its Ford Puma Rally1 in the World Rally Championship next season, while Craig Breen heads in the opposite direction for a part-campaign with Hyundai. Tanak’s increasing frustration at Hyundai in 2022 was one of the major subplots of the season. The South Korean marque has often flattered to deceive at the highest level of global rallying, with reliability problems and some questionable team management. Tanak wasn’t going to sit back and let that wash over him. He was succinct and forthright, and this led to a very frosty relationship between him and his paymasters. Now he is returning to the team that gave him his…

Formula 1 chiefs are looking to tweak the Drag Reduction System usage in 2023 to make overtaking more difficult. The system was introduced into grand prix racing in 2011 to assist passing moves, but it is felt that the new ground effect rules that were introduced at the beginning of 2022 have now made overtaking too easy at certain venues. The FIA’s single-seater technical director Nikolas Tombzis told Autosport that one of the ideas under consideration was to reduce the activation zones at some circuits to limit the effect of DRS. “We don’t want overtaking to be, as we say, inevitable or actually easy,” he explained. “It still has to be a fight. If it happens too quickly, if you just see a car approaching and then going by and disappearing, it’s actually…

The six venues that will host Formula 1 sprint races in 2023 have been named with Silverstone missing from the list. The grands prix which will feature a competitive race on the Saturday afternoon are Azerbaijan, Austria, Belgium, Qatar, the USA and Brazil. There will be no change in the points system for the Sprint events – with a reward for the first eight drivers home – although this had been mooted in recent weeks. “We have seen a hugely positive reaction to the F1 sprint events during the first two years of its running,” said F1 president and chief executive officer Stefano Domenicali. “We can’t wait to bring even more action to fans with six events next year, including our first US F1 sprint in Austin. “The introduction of the F1 sprint has…

Formula 1 heads have agreed a deal for the Dutch Grand Prix to remain on the schedule until at least 2025. The race has proved hugely popular with fans of the two-time World champion Max Verstappen, and he will be joined on the grid by a second Dutch racer with Nyck de Vries joining AlphaTauri for 2023. Formula 1 president and chief executive Stefano Domenicali said: “The Dutch Grand Prix has quickly established itself on the calendar as a fan favourite, bringing incredible energy and a great fan experience every year. “The sold-out events in the last two years have raised the bar in terms of organisation, entertainment, and sustainability, and we are delighted to extend our relationship with them.” A switch in the calendar line-up means that the race will be the first…

Ex-Formula 1 driver Romain Grosjean has signed to drive for Lamborghini in the World Endurance Championship’s hypercar division. The 36-year-old, who will also return to the IndyCar series in 2023, will begin his relationship with the Italian firm by racing in the GT3 division by joining the Iron Lynx team for Daytona in a Huracan and he will also contest a number of other IMSA races with the squad while also undertaking test work with the new LMDh machine. The LMDh car is due on the WEC grid in 2024. Grosjean joins the already confirmed Mirko Bortolotti and Andrea Caldarelli in the line-up for the top-flight racer. Grosjean said: “I am very excited about two things: the first is starting in Daytona with the GT3 which has been very successful in Daytona…

Formula E will switch from its USA race from New York to Portland in Oregon for the 2022-2023 season to complete the roster for the campaign. New York took over as the host city of the Formula E race in the States, having previously hosted rounds in Miami and Long Beach but the venue in Brooklyn is unavailable this year due to renovations. There was a plan to link up with an existing IndyCar race, meeting but that idea was shelved. The Portland race is the 12th to be added to the line-up, which will feature 16 rounds. The move was rubber-stamped at the recent World Motor Sports Council meeting, which also confirmed a free practice-only licence for drivers. The move has been made as there is a rule in place for teams…