Motorsport News October 27, 2022

Well, it is that time of the season. Most championships are reaching their conclusion and we have a glorious season to look back on. Some really outstanding performances have been given and silverware has been handed out. That can only mean one thing: it is time for the 2022 Motorsport Awards. We have drawn up a shortlist of 10 stand-out performers for our National Racing Driver of the Year and also for the National Rally Driver of the Year, and this is where we need your help. These awards will be voted for by our readers. So check out the nominations on page 20-21 and head over to the Motorsport News section of the Fast Car website to register your favourites. We have also formalised the shortlists for our other categories. These…

In the end it was entirely fitting that Max Verstappen won the United States Grand Prix and sealed the 2022 constructors’ championship for Red Bull. On a weekend where it was announced that the company’s founder and owner, Dietrich Mateschitz had passed away, clinching the World title for the first time in eight years was the perfect tribute. But Max had to fight for it. His 13th win of the year came at the expense of Lewis Hamilton, as he hunted down and passed his old rival just six laps from the chequered flag. It was the closest the British driver had come to winning this season – but he couldn’t quite manage to keep the Red Bull behind him. Verstappen had snatched the lead at the start, getting a better run…

Formula 2 battler Logan Sargeant is nearing a driver with the Williams F1 team next season should he earn another superlicence points. The 21-year-old American, who is third in the F2 standings with two races remaining, took part in the opening free practice session at the US Grand Prix last weekend as part of the Williams crew, and will also handle the FW44 in Mexico and Abu Dhabi That, allied to his Formula 2 results, should mean he has enough licence points to be able to line up alongside Alex Albon on the F1 grid in 2023. Team boss Jost Capito said: “We feel he’s ready to race in F1 and on the condition he has enough superlicence points he will be our second driver.” Williams’s sporting director Sven Smeets added: “Logan showed…

The FIA has revealed that the Porsche brand is still considering an F1 entry in the future, despite talks with Red Bull Racing on a link-up falling apart. The German firm, along with sister brand Audi, has been in serious discussions about joining the topflight, but it was feared that the plan had been shelved when the Red Bull talks stalled. Audi has tied up a deal with the Alfa Romeo team from 2026 onwards. In a statement issued to the FIA’s governing body recently, the FIA said Porsche was still at the table. It read: “At Spa-Francorchamps in August, Audi announced it was joining the FIA Formula 1 world championship from 2026. “This announcement was an endorsement of the hard work by all stakeholders to develop those regulations. We also note that…

A report into the recovery truck on circuit during the recent Japanese Grand Prix has concluded that no rescue vehicles should enter the live circuit until all of the cars are behind the safety car. AlphaTauri driver Pierre Gasly passed recovery tractors at the scene of Carlos Sainz’s stricken Ferrari in Japan at a speed of more than 100mph as he was trying to catch back up to the pack after an early pitstop. He was later reprimanded for his speed, but the FIA launched a review. It concluded: “A recovery vehicle should not be deployed unless all cars are aligned behind the safety car. Marshals and recovery equipment would only be deployed whilst cars are on track (safety car periods) when the weather conditions and location of the cars to be…

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner fears that the row surrounding the squad’s overspend of the budget cap could rumble on into next season. The team has been in talks with the governing body, the FIA, after the latter found the team guilty of a budget cap breach. Both parties are seeking a way forward but there has been no resolution to this point. Meanwhile, other team bosses have reacted furiously to the breach, with McLaren head Zak Brown suggesting that the issues constituted “cheating”. Horner said that the conversations with the FIA had dragged on over the United States Grand Prix weekend and he wasn’t hopeful that there would be an answer – or a decision on any relevant penalties – any time soon. In an FIA conference over the weekend, Horner said:…