Motorsport News June 30, 2022

The Lola brand will return to international competition after being acquired by IMSA racer Till Bechtolsheimer as part of an effort to re-establish the British constructor in the motorsport industry. The deal is set to mean that the Lola name becomes active for the first time in a decade after the previous iteration of the marque was forced into administration in May 2012. US-based Brit, Bechtolsheimer, now controls all of the assets of the iconic British brand that has designed and produced nearly 5000 race cars spanning 400 different model types. These include the Huntingdon-based technology centre that features a commercially available 50% scale windtunnel, model shop and seven-post vehicle dynamic test rig.…

There is only really one big question ahead of this weekend’s British Grand Prix, and that is: will Mercedes find the 3.67-mile circuit easy on its W13 chassis. If it does, then some vigorous flag-waving will be required from the home-grown fans as George Russell and Lewis Hamilton go into battle. The signs are that the Silver Arrows will be back towards the front of the pack at Silverstone this weekend. Its engineers are cautious – bitten by previous upgrades and solutions to the porpoising problems that have not cured the car of its ills – but it is much more likely to be nearer to the pace of the Red Bulls and Ferraris this weekend. Amid the head-scratching at Mercedes, the one thing that is certain is that Silverstone will serve…

The man who has bought the complete assets of the Lola marque has expressed his desire to take Lola back to Le Mans among several targets in the coming years of his custodianship of one the world’s best-known customer race car manufacturers. Till Bechtolsheimer announced that he was following in the footsteps of previous owners Eric Broadley (1958-1997) and Martin Birrane (1997-2012) after concluding a deal with the Birrane family to purchase the brand earlier this year. Bechtolsheimer outlined what he intends to make of Lola, telling Motorsport News that “the plan is to re-establish Lola as a leading design and engineering force in modern motorsport.” For Lola’s third owner the opportunity to acquire and steer one of motorsport’s most iconic marques was one too good not to be taken up. “I have had…

The Mercedes F1 team is aiming to move closer to the pace of Red Bull and Ferrari at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone this weekend with a raft of tweaks to the W13 chassis. The Brackley-based team has made progress to iron out the porpoising phenomenon that has afflicted the machines of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton early on in the season. The squad is optimistic that the smoother surface at Silverstone will help push the cars closer to the ultimate pace. Mercedes’technical director Mike Elliott said: “We will be bringing new bits to Silverstone, we will be trying to push the car forward, trying to get some pace from the car we’ve got or from the package we’ve got as well as the new bits we are going to add…

City bosses in the Spanish capital Madrid have approached Formula 1 chiefs about the prospect of hosting a grand prix in the future. The region’s governors form the Community of Madrid body, and its cabinet minister Enrique Lopez has written to F1’s chief executive officer Stefano Domenicali to express an interest in an event. Lopez’s letter said: “I believe that holding in Madrid a motor racing event, which is one of the most exciting sporting phenomena of our time, would be a success for all the professionals, institutions and companies involved in the development of F1. “Of course, it would also be a satisfaction for the whole region and its citizens. That is why the Government of the Community of Madrid has the greatest interest in making it possible.” Five venues have hosted the…

Pierre Gasly has confirmed that he will continue to race for the AlphaTauri grand prix squad in 2023. The Frenchman, the winner of the Italian Grand Prix in 2020 with the team, is under contract to Red Bull, which also owns AlphaTauri. The 26-year-old is 11th in the standings this year and his best result so far has been a fifth place in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix earlier this month. “I have been with this team for five years now,” said Gasly. “I am proud of the journey we’ve been through together and the progress we have made. “This year’s new regulations have created new challenges for us and being able to plan our development with the team for the next 18 months is a good working basis for the future.” The Faenza-based team…