Autosport 4/14/2022

Can Ferrari fans start to believe? Charles Leclerc’s performance as Formula 1 returned to Australia last weekend was imperious. Forget the nonsense about ‘Charles 2.0’. It’s been obvious since before Leclerc made it to F1 that he had the potential to be a star. As Alex Kalinauckas shows on page 10, it’s merely the circumstances that have changed in 2022, which are allowing Leclerc to deliver. We’ll be looking at the challenges Ferrari has to face to maintain its momentum in next week’s issue but, as our report on p12 demonstrates, Red Bull has some work to do too. Not only did it go the wrong way with its set-up at Albert Park, but Max Verstappen has now failed to finish two of the first three races – and is 46 points…

FORMULA 1 Audi and Porsche want to wait until after Formula 1’s 2026 engine regulations are announced before committing to entering the championship, the German car makers have indicated. After months of speculation that point to the companies joining F1, a short statement issued after a board meeting last Thursday formally laid out the road map for its involvement. While there was no confirmation that it had given the final green light to an entry, as had been anticipated, it was made clear that both Audi and Porsche would likely get the go-ahead once the rules are finalised by the FIA. Talks over the next generation of power units have been ongoing for some time, involving the existing engine manufacturers and other interested parties. Both Audi and Porsche have been clear that the…

FORMULA 1 The FIA has clarified Formula 1’s safety car restart rules to prevent drivers employing tactics such as the side-by-side move Max Verstappen has used twice against Charles Leclerc in 2022. Verstappen drew alongside Leclerc in Bahrain and Jeddah as they approached the final corners before the restart once the safety car had moved ahead to return to the pits. Ahead of qualifying for last weekend’s Australian Grand Prix, race director Niels Wittich issued updated event notes that highlighted Article 55.14 of F1’s sporting rules, to reinforce its meaning to the drivers and teams and therefore clamp down on such moves. Autosport sources have indicated that the clampdown is also related to various manoeuvres drivers have been employing at safety car restarts, as well as those of Verstappen, but that his tactic is…

FORMULA 1 Formula 1 could hold a second race in Singapore should plans for Qatar to replace the cancelled Russian Grand Prix in September fall through, Autosport has learned. After cancelling the Sochi race following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, F1 was looking to fill the gap on the calendar by returning to Qatar’s Losail circuit, which hosted its first F1 grand prix last year. But Autosport has now learned that some uncertainty from the event organisers in Qatar over the heat in September and proximity to the football World Cup starting in November has led to alternative options being explored, including running two races in Singapore. The idea has been discussed with the promoters in Singapore, which could possibly host the two races on consecutive weekends at Marina Bay Street Circuit at slightly different…

NITRO RALLYCROSS Jenson Button will make his full debut in rallycross this year. The 2009 Formula 1 world champion has joined Xite Energy Racing in Travis Pastrana’s much-expanded Nitro Rallycross series. Button, whose father John made his name in rallycross, has dabbled in off-road racing since his retirement from F1. He contested the Baja 1000 in 2019, and raced for his own JBXE team in last year’s first round of the Extreme E series in Saudi Arabia. The 42-year-old, who remains active in F1 as a senior advisor to the Williams team and a pundit for Sky Sports, has signed up to drive the Nitro series’ new electric-powered FC1-X racer alongside Xite team owner and Nitro Rallycross regular Oliver Bennett. “I love racing and I want to have fun,” said Button, who recently tested…

FORMULA 1/FIA The FIA has chosen Francois Sicard, managing director of the DAMS single-seater team, to fill a role equivalent to that of Formula 1 sporting director. The conclusions of the FIA report into last year’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix safety car controversy noted that “a new F1 sporting director will be recruited (process finalised)”. Sicard will fill that role, although his definitive title and full job description have yet to be determined. The sporting director title was previously one of several held by Michael Masi, but the job has now been repositioned between FIA single-seater department head Peter Bayer and the organisation’s key F1 players, including new race directors Niels Wittich and Eduardo Freitas. Sicard’s tasks are expected to include overseeing the development of the sporting regulations, along with liaising with the F1…