Motorsport News January 12, 2023

There aren’t too many motor racing names that resonate with the man or woman n the street, but Andretti certainly is one of those. The all-American hero with Italian roots, Mario certainly captured the imagination of the world when he powered his way to the F1 World title in 1978. The dynasty he has gone on to create has been huge. Son Michael is at the helm of Andretti Autosport, which has become a motorsport powerhouse. Outside of grand prix racing, it is probably the most prolific and successful squad on the planet. So why is its projected entry into Formula 1 such a sore point for those already involved with grand prix racing? The answer is simple: greed. The current grand prix cash war chest is split between 10 teams. They…

Andretti Global boss Michael Andretti says there will be no rush to get his nascent grand prix team on the Formula 1 grid, subject to gaining permission from the governing body, after revealing a tie-up with General Motors brand Cadillac. The link-up was revealed last week and Andretti will formalise his interest in joining the top fight when the FIA opens up an Expressions of Interest process in the near future (see sidebar). The powerplant rules reset in 2026 would be an obvious time for Andretti to join, but the team boss said he would not make the leap until he was fully ready. “We are going to be on-track when it all makes sense to be on-track,” said Andretti. Andretti Autosport already takes part in a host of international categories including IndyCar,…

Chiefs of the Chinese Grand Prix have opened talks with Formula 1 bosses in an attempt to get the cancelled race returned to the grand prix line-up in 2023. The event was named on the original F1 calendar and was due to take place on April 16, but the country’s strict Covid quarantine regulations meant that F1 bosses were uncomfortable about holding the race. However, those measures have now been relaxed and, as no replacement had been put in place for the Shanghai race, the original slot is still available. The Chinese event, which would push the roster up to 24 races, would be the fourth round of the year, taking place after the Australian GP and before the Azerbaijan race. The Chinese Grand Prix has not taken place since 2019. The scheduled…

The Mercedes Formula 1 team was the first to confirm it had fired up its 2023 racer as it continues it season preparations. The Brackley-based team issued a social media video of the maiden fire-up of the W14, with which it hopes to return to the front of the pack with Lewis Hamilton and George Russell driving. “The DNA of the car is going to change for [this] year, that’s clear,” said team principal Toto Wolff. “It doesn’t necessarily mean that our bodywork is going to look very different. But certainly what is part of the DNA of the car, the architecture of the car, will change for [this] year.” McLaren will launch its new car on Monday, February 13, the same day as Aston Martin. Alpine has confirmed that the wraps will…

Pietro Fittipaldi, the grandson of World champion Emerson, has joined the Jota sportscar team for the 2023 season as the squad aims to defend its LMP2 title. The 26-year-old Brazilian will join David Heinmeier Hansson and Oliver Rassmussen in the British team to pilot the solo Oreca-Gibson 07 in the full World Endurance Championship. Jota claimed the crown in 2022 with Antonio Felix da Costa, Will Stevens and Roberto Gonzalez. Pietro Fittipaldi, who started two grands prix with the Haas team in 2020 and is set to remain with the squad as reserve driver this term, said: “[JOTA] is an extremely successful team and has a lot of experience in endurance racing, so this is an amazing opportunity.” Jota is due to join the Hypercar ranks this season with a Porsche 963, which…

The FIA has officially said it will start a process to allow those interested to enter the Formula 1 World championship to lodge their interest with the governing body. In a post on social media, FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem said that he had set the initiative in motion within the halls of power in Paris. He tweeted: “I have asked my FIA team to look at launching an Expressions of Interest process for prospective new teams for the FIA F1 World Championship.” Andretti Global is one of a number of parties said to be interested in F1 amid the growing interest in the series. New teams that want to enter grand prix racing are asked to put down a $200 million ‘dilution’ fund. Currently, under the terms of the Concorde Agreement,…