World Rally Championship

British Touring Car Championship

Formula One Testing

Indy Car Series

World Endurance Championship

NASCAR Cup Series

Moto2

Extreme E

FIA ETCR eTouring Car World Cup

NASCAR Xfinity Series

NASCAR Truck Series

Moto3

IMSA SportsCar Championship

GT World Challenge Europe

W Series

GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup

Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters

ADAC 24h Rennen Nürburgring

12 Hours of Sebring

British GT Championship

Superbike World Championship

24 Hours of Le Mans

MotoGP

Formula One

S5000 Series

Super GT

Formula E

FIA Formula 2 Championship

Nascar Cup Series

British Superbike Championship

Super Formula

Supercars Championship

Formula 1 2021 Season Stats Review

Hamiltons 5 Biggest Winning Margins

Weekend Stats Round-up: Oct 1st-3rd 2021

Ticktum: Formula E contact with rivals "like a BTCC race"

The narrowest winning margins in Motorsport: Part 1

Formula One Drivers Who Won On Their Team Debuts: Part 1

2021 Russian Grand Prix: Stats Breakdown

F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix Preview

2021 French Grand Prix Stat Preview:

2021 Turkish Grand Prix Stats Breakdown: 

Bathurst start ban being considered by Supercars

F1’s active aero plans for 2026 could include ‘reverse DRS’

The added complication Ferrari faces in its hunt for Binotto's F1 successor

Inside Aston Martin's new £200m 'game changer' F1 factory

Red Bull move offers Ricciardo best chance of instant F1 comeback - Brown

F1 won’t suffer from the "complete mess" FTX crypto collapse triggered – Brown

Verstappen: F1 drivers should quit if not prepared for marathon battles

Binotto exit rumours ramp up amid resignation report

Mercedes and Aston Martin tech innovations banned for F1 2023

Richard Mille Racing shuts its doors after 2022 WEC season

Supercars is considering banning teams from letting co-drivers start the Bathurst 1000.
<img src="https://production-cms-mss.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/grid_ev_11_22_mh1_7034_1_2a953174fa.jpg" alt="" />
The Supercars rules have prevented teams from pairing their two primary drivers for the long-distance races since 2010.
That rule has driven a competitive co-driver market, with top talent, particularly drivers fresh out of a full-time seat, in demand from teams.
Over the years the clearly preferred strategy has become to start the co-driver in the car with the primary drivers not appearing until the second and third stint.
While effective from a race strategy point of view it means the lesser-known co-drivers are in the car one of the most-viewed sporting moments on the Australian TV landscape each year.
As the enduro season has slimmed back to a single race there have also been questions over match fitness for co-drivers, with the hectic opening stint in this year's race cited by some in the paddock as an example.
While that issue will be somewhat alleviated by the return of the Sandown 500 this year, Supercars CEO Shane Howard says his preference is for a rule that forces teams to start their primary drivers for Bathurst.
Howard also revealed that preliminary discussions over the matter have taken place at Supercars Commission level, and that a rule being introduced before the 2023 Great Race is not out of the question.
"It's always been the decision of the teams who they start in the car," said Howard. "If you ask me my preference, I would like to see the primary drivers start the race.
"I think that's what the fans would like to see.
"The teams do it for strategy. That race, as we know, as long as you're on the lead lap with 20-odd laps to go, you're in there with a shot. The strategy plays out in that. So the strategy can make the race as well.
"There's pros and cons for it. But my personal point of view is that I prefer to see our primary drivers start the endurance races.
"There hasn't been a decision made on it," he explained. "It has [been spoken about by the Commission] but not in a formal way.
"It's been discussed that it could be considered but it would have to go through a process with the Commission and the Board.
"I'd like it to be considered [for 2023]."

2022 Repco Bathurst 1000

Mount Panorama Motor Racing Circuit

medium_grid-ev-11-22-mh1-7034-1.jpg

small_grid-ev-11-22-mh1-7034-1.jpg

thumbnail_grid-ev-11-22-mh1-7034-1.jpg

grid-ev-11-22-mh1-7034-1.jpg

By: Andrew van Leeuwen

Formula 1&rsquo;s active aero plans for 2026 could include the idea of handicapping the car performance of race leaders to help prevent runaway wins.
<img src="https://production-cms-mss.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/0_f51e6dd1af.jpg" alt="" width="1132" height="754" />
Grand Prix racing&rsquo;s chiefs have openly been looking at introducing active aero from the start of the next rules era from 2026.
This was originally spoken about as a way of helping improve fuel efficiency, with cars able to have low drag configuration for the straights and then switch to a high downforce setup for the corners.
But F1 is evaluating going much further than that and using active aero to help improve the spectacle.
This would most likely be as a means for it to be used as an effective replacement for DRS in helping boost the performance of chasing cars - through either less wing on the straights or even more in the corners.
However, there is also an idea being evaluated for it to be implemented as a means of holding back the race leader so he faces a tougher challenge from behind.
F1&rsquo;s outgoing managing director of motorsport Ross Brawn has revealed that some thought is being given to potentially using it as a way of reducing the downforce of race leaders to ensure they cannot break clear easily.
<img src="https://production-cms-mss.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/2_98ce703c86.webp" alt="" />
Speaking in an exclusive interview with this week&rsquo;s Autosport magazine, Brawn said that F1 chiefs had begun thinking up how best active aero could be used.
&ldquo;One of the big things about the 2026 car is whether we have active aerodynamics,&rdquo; said Brawn. &ldquo;I think that&rsquo;s an efficiency step which is very appealing.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s still got to be sorted to see how that can be done, and if it can be done safely and predictably. But, active aerodynamics, we semi have them at the moment with DRS, as DRS is active aerodynamics.
&ldquo;But can you do something much more significant?
&ldquo;If you have active aerodynamics, then of course you could affect the car in front. You could have a proximity [that] once you get within a certain degree, the car in front loses a little bit of downforce and you gain a little bit of downforce. There&rsquo;s tricks you can play with that. It becomes an opportunity.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not saying we would do that, but it becomes an opportunity. So, the 2026 car is lessons learned from what we have now and I think we&rsquo;ll incorporate some form of active aerodynamics.&rdquo;
This active aero idea, what could be termed &lsquo;reverse DRS&rsquo; in reducing aerodynamic performance for a car, would need carefully evaluating before being implemented.
But Brawn said a team of experts at the FIA, including head of aerodynamics Jason Sommerville who has moved across from F1, were well prepared to dig deep and fully understand the implications.
&ldquo;We concluded in the end that was better placed under the FIA, because they would have total access to data,&rdquo; he said about Sommerville's move there. &ldquo;There&rsquo;d be no confidentially concerns. Not that there were, but now we&rsquo;re in the implementation phase, Jason and his people need to see real car data. And within the FIA they can do that. &nbsp;
&ldquo;They&rsquo;re very committed to raceability. I sometimes get a text&hellip; like in the sprint in Brazil, Jason texted me [saying]: &lsquo;Fantastic race, really pleased to see the cars racing so well,&rsquo; and this sort of stuff. So, they&rsquo;re passionate about making sure we have raceable cars now. They&rsquo;ve seen the light.&rdquo;
<iframe style="width: 1198px; height: 674px;" src="https://motorsport.tv/embed/QB4TmZy9" width="1198" height="674" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>

large_00.jpg

medium_00.jpg

small_00.jpg

thumbnail_00.jpg

00.jpg

By: Jonathan Noble Co-author: Alex Kalinauckas

As the dust begins to settle from Mattia Binotto&rsquo;s exit as Ferrari&rsquo;s Formula 1 chief following confirmation of his resignation, officials in Maranello now face a two-sided problem.
<img src="https://production-cms-mss.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/mattia_binotto_ferrari_team_pr_1_26a0606314.webp" alt="" />
Tuesday's announcement that Binotto would be leaving his role as team principal at the end of the season came following weeks of speculation he was being ushered towards the exit after 28 years.
Ferrari said in the statement making Binotto's departure official that the process to find a new team principal was "underway" and "expected to be finalised in the new year."
Alfa Romeo F1 boss Frederic Vasseur is the favourite for the job, with the links dating back several weeks as the rumours began to swirl in the paddock.
But replacing the man at the very top of the F1 operation is not the only challenge that Ferrari chairman John Elkann and CEO Benedetto Vigna now face: they also need to find a new technical chief.
Upon taking the reins at Ferrari in 2019, Binotto adopted an unconventional dual role running the team, as no replacement was promoted into his previous role as technical chief.
Binotto rose through the ranks at Maranello after starting out as an engineer, becoming the head of Ferrari's engine department before taking over as chief technical officer in 2016 following the departure of James Allison.
As a result, Binotto has remained involved with the technical department at Ferrari over the past four seasons, delegating some responsibilities while maintaining supervision and also operating as team principal.
It means Ferrari now faces the task of filling not one but two of the most senior roles in its F1 team, seemingly without any in-house replacements who are ready to step in. On the team principal side, proof of this comes in the fact Ferrari did not have a successor ready to name upon confirming Binotto's departure, prompting it to look outside of the team.
<img src="https://production-cms-mss.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/0_ab9ce6e504.jpg" alt="" width="1253" height="835" />
Unless Ferrari can find someone with a similar background to Binotto who would be capable of the dual role as both team principal and technical chief, it is likely its internal structure will need to change, potentially returning to the more conventional approach of having a bespoke technical boss.
But the added challenge on this front is that many of the top names established in F1 will be subject to long periods of gardening leave.
When Aston Martin secured Dan Fallows from Red Bull to join as its new technical chief, it took 10 months before he could start work - and that was only after a deal was struck to shorten his gardening leave.
It would be a big ask for Ferrari to get someone from outside of the team in time for the 2023 season, meaning an internal promotion is likely - although this will also require a rejigging of its technical department.
As important as it will be for Ferrari to find the right person to head up the team moving forward in the wake of Binotto's departure, securing a strong technical chief is the other key battle it now faces, particularly given the strength of those departments at Red Bull and Mercedes.
Binotto's exit has created a domino effect that is more complex than appointing a like-for-like replacement, should any even exist. It means there is little time to waste if Ferrari wants to have a stable leadership in place so it can mount a sustained challenge for both titles in 2023 and end its drought.
<iframe style="width: 1255px; height: 706px;" src="https://motorsport.tv/embed/QB4TmZy9" width="1255" height="706" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>

Ferrari

large_0.jpg

medium_0.jpg

small_0.jpg

thumbnail_0.jpg

0.jpg

By: Roberto Chinchero, Co-author: Luke Smith

Ever since Lawrence Stroll revealed his plan to bring the Aston Martin name back fully to Formula 1, the team's ambitions have been anything but small.
<img src="https://production-cms-mss.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/2_207b379dbe.webp" alt="" />
For its first year as Aston Martin after the rebranding of Racing Point, four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel arrived for the final two seasons of his F1 career. For 2023, his seat will be taken by Fernando Alonso, another all-time great who ditched Alpine in favour of Aston Martin.
Engineering talent has arrived from throughout the grid, bolstering a team that, after years of punching above its weight on a shoestring budget, now has the might to mount a charge for the very front of the grid.
Back in March 2021, Stroll outlined a five-year plan for Aston Martin to be challenging for F1 titles, with a big part of the blueprint being a new, state-of-the-art factory out of which it will operate. Last September, ground was broken on the 37,000-square metre site around the existing factory at Silverstone, once home to the team's distant predecessor, Jordan, with the goal of having it up and running in 2023.
Last week, Motorsport.com was among a select group of media to pay a visit to Aston Martin's new factory and see how plans were advancing for what promises to be a game changer for the team in its push to fight for world titles.
When ground was broken on the site at Silverstone, Stroll explained that he wanted the new Aston Martin factory to be "the reverse of what Ron Dennis did" with the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking: prioritising function, not aesthetics.
The factory is being built in three chunks, the first of which is set to be completed in May 2023. This will be the main building for the race team, where the car will be designed and out of which all of the major operations will be conducted. The second building to open will be home to the new wind tunnel, which is set to open in Q3 of 2024, before a third building is then opened as an employee experience and events space on the site of the existing factory. The three buildings will be connected by bridges.
<img src="https://production-cms-mss.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/0_858f6e82c7.jpg" alt="" width="1170" height="779" />
Although there is still plenty to be done before it can open, the main building is quickly taking shape. The race team will base its operations on the ground floor, and has been heavily involved in ensuring the design of the building meets their needs and there is the correct flow between all the departments. Small details such as cabinet or drawer placement can have a big impact on work processes, making it important for them to be considered and implemented accordingly. It's function over fashion.
Upstairs in the factory will be an open-plan technical office, something technical director Dan Fallows, formerly of Red Bull, is confident can be conducive to encouraging creativity when it comes to car design.
"I've been in a big, open-plan office before with the ability to be able to walk around and talk to people very easily," he says. "It makes a huge difference in terms of those interactions, particularly those serendipitous interactions where you can have a chat with somebody where you have a chat about one thing and go on to lots of other things. They often end up being the most creative conversations. That's what we're trying to build, really."
Running through the heart of the main factory is a central 160 metre-long 'street' that will keep the whole building connected, avoiding the labyrinthine layouts seen in other F1 factories. Elements such as the placement of the windows, facing north to be kinder on computer screens and stop solar gain, have also been considered with the workforce in mind.&nbsp;
The upper level has windows running right around that will offer views of Northamptonshire countryside and, from the balcony outside Stroll's office where so many of the decisions for this team will be taken in the future, a view of the Silverstone race track.
Will it be the best factory in F1? It is a question that is "easy to answer", according to team principal Mike Krack: "Yes."
But as impressive as the factory is shaping up to be, the real measure of its success will come in what it produces via the future Aston Martin F1 cars.
The AMR23 is set to be the last car to be designed and produced out of the existing factory, with the shift next spring meaning the 2024 model will come out of the new facility. Come 2025, the car will have benefitted from using the most up-to-date wind tunnel in F1. McLaren is also in the process of building a new wind tunnel, meaning only two teams will have a facility built within the last decade.
"There's no doubt that it will be a world-class facility, and having access to that 24/7 if required is obviously very important," says Fallows. "As we improve and our wind tunnel runs' availability that we have from the Aerodynamic Testing Restrictions goes down, clearly we wouldn't be spending as much time in the tunnel.
<img src="https://production-cms-mss.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/3_4c313b8dbd.jpg" alt="" width="1131" height="753" />
"But having your own facility means you can do other experiments as well which is invaluable, and something we don't necessarily have the luxury of doing at the moment sharing the tunnel with another team."
Getting everything under one roof is an important step for Aston Martin. Although it isn't looking to ditch its approach of working with Mercedes for its power unit and some listed parts in the immediate future, believing neither to be big drawbacks, the things under its control will now be given great attention.
"We have the ability when everything is on-site, to be able to be much more detailed in terms of the analytics and detailing the production process, analysing that in a way that allows us to improve it much more so than if you're using external people," Fallows explains. "That's probably the key difference."
It should give Aston Martin what it needs to take the next step forward. Its recovery from a difficult start to the year has given confidence it is on the right path for next year, although Fallows said to expect some "significant differences" on the AMR23. The motivation offered to staff by the new site at Silverstone is also something the team is tapping into, holding regular tours to show its workers how plans are progressing.
"We have a lot of momentum," says Krack. "You feel that spirit when you come in here. I think honestly, we have reason to believe we can continue on that path."
Coughing up in the region of &pound;200m on a new factory is proof of Lawrence Stroll's commitment to making the Aston Martin F1 project work - meaning it must have the long-term in mind.
It will be the first team facility constructed with F1's new budget cap in mind, meaning efficiencies created by getting everything under one roof are all the more valuable. If developments can come along cheaper and quicker, it will leave more time and money to produce more parts or chase further upgrades, all of which will push the team forward on track.
"You have the ability to make everything yourself, but you can also decide to buy or make it, and you can make things faster," says Krack. "So if you can make them also cheaper, it means you can make more. You can have one or two more upgrades than before due to time and also financial reasons you could not do it. From that point of view, I think it's a good step."
But Krack feels the most significant gains will come on the human side of things by having everything under one roof. "It will be massively different and massively easier," he says. "From that point of view, I fully agree with using the word game changer, for team dynamics and logistics."
Stroll has made clear throughout the planning and construction of the factory that he wants everything to "feel like Aston Martin": it must hold a certain gravitas, a commitment to quality and chasing success. As the site nears completion and the team prepares to move in midway through next season, the momentum it is picking up may only snowball.
As Aston Martin gears up to take the next step and join F1's elite, its new factory will be a major moment - and may well act as a statement of intent to its rivals.

Aston Martin

Fernando Alonso

Lance Stroll

By Luke Smith

Daniel Ricciardo has the chance to turn his Formula 1 career around "on a dime" after taking up a Red Bull third driver role, reckons former boss Zak Brown.
<img src="https://production-cms-mss.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/0_ee882fdc23.webp" alt="" />
The Australian agreed on an early parting of ways with McLaren this year after the partnership had failed to deliver the results that were expected.
After weighing up his options for 2023, Ricciardo eventually agreed to become Red Bull's third driver for next season as he eyes a full-time return to racing in 2024.
And while some have questioned whether Ricciardo has taken the best route to keep himself in the limelight, McLaren CEO Brown believes that it could offer him an immediate chance to show he still has what it takes to win in F1.
He cites the example of former Mercedes reserve Nyck de Vries, who did such a good job as stand-in for Alex Albon at Williams at the Italian GP that he landed a race seat at AlphaTauri for 2023.
"Look at what happened with Nyck with one good session," said Brown. "All of a sudden he became hot property.
"So if one of those guys [at Red Bull] couldn't race for some reason, and he [Ricciardo] hopped in and all of a sudden he took that car to where it is now, it can just turn on a dime."
Asked by Motorsport.com if the chance of a Red Bull outing was better for his prospect than having taken up a full-time seat with Haas, Brown said: "It's hard to tell. In one sense if you go to Haas and then you give it to [Kevin] Magnussen that's one way to kind of get back on the radar.
<img src="https://production-cms-mss.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/0_1ca1805437.jpg" alt="" width="1251" height="850" />
"The other is a [Red Bull] driver gets COVID, you're in a race-winning car, you go out to win the race, and you're back on the grid. So I think it's hard to say which will create the best opportunity."
Brown said he was taken aback that Ricciardo was not snapped up by other teams once it became clear after the summer break that he was available.
"I'm surprised some of the other teams that looked for drivers didn't select him," he said. "But also I think there were certain teams he wasn't interested in driving for. So maybe they would have selected him.
"But he clearly wants to stay in the game. He won Monza last year; eight races is a lot of races to win. So it's in there, we just weren't able to unlock it. And hopefully in another environment, something will unlock it, because I think we'd like to see Daniel on the grid."
<iframe style="width: 1260px; height: 709px;" src="https://motorsport.tv/embed/Th17Vs1S" width="1260" height="709" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>

Red Bull Racing

Daniel Ricciardo

Zak Brown

By Jonathan Noble

Formula 1 will weather the storm caused by the "complete mess" of the collapse of cryptocurrency exchange FTX and the contagion it triggered, says McLaren boss Zak Brown.
<img src="https://production-cms-mss.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/1_6cef34b1ff.webp" alt="" />
The recent bankruptcy of FTX in the wake of an $8 billion liquidity crunch sent panic through the crypto markets &ndash; which in turn has had an impact on F1 teams.
Eight of the squads on the grid have sponsorship deals with crypto firms, with F1 itself having a major deal with exchange Crypto.com.
FTX was a sponsor of the Mercedes team, and the trouble prompted the German car manufacturer to suspend the deal on the eve of the Brazilian Grand Prix and remove the company&rsquo;s logos from its car and assets.
The demise of FTX impacted other companies that had loans or financial arrangements with it, and prompted concerns about contagion in the market amid uncertainty about the reserves of other major exchanges.
But Brown does not see the need to be too worried about the impact on F1, as he says the crypto market will see its strongest participants survive.
He was clear that he has no fears about the strength of exchange OKX, which joined forces with McLaren earlier this year.
&ldquo;We're very comfortable with OKX, and we did a tremendous amount of due diligence,&rdquo; said Brown.
&ldquo;We had a choice on which partner to go with, because we had a bunch of approaches, so we believe we've got the best partner in the business. We're well aware of their back end, their reserves, the deposits, how they operate. So I'm very comfortable there.&rdquo;
<img src="https://production-cms-mss.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/0_0946d9525f.jpg" alt="" width="1200" height="800" />
Asked by Motorsport.com if there was a risk of a wider potential impact of the crypto meltdown on F1, Brown said: &ldquo;The FTX [situation] certainly seems to be a complete mess.
&ldquo;I kind of liken it to the Internet when it got started. You had lots of Internet companies. Lots didn't make it, but then companies like Amazon came out pretty good.
&ldquo;I think that'll be the same with crypto and blockchain. You just had so many people rush towards it. And the end result will be a handful, and I don't know what that number is, of real serious players.
&ldquo;Everyone that I've spoken within the financial industry is very bullish on crypto and blockchain as a financial instrument moving forward. And it's just going to be a case of who are going to be the big players in the space. We're convinced OKX is going to be one of them and they've been rock solid with us.&rdquo;
Brown also reckons that doubts about the long-term viability of crypto sponsors are no different from scepticism about other industries that have been involved in F1.
&ldquo;I think every time there's been a shift in the sport, there's, &lsquo;oh my, what's going to happen when the tobacco money leaves the sport? What happens when this manufacturer leaves the sport?
&ldquo;But the sport is so strong that it seems always to be someone there to step in. So it would be unfortunate if there's a lot of impact, but I think the sport is just fine.&rdquo;
<iframe style="width: 1202px; height: 676px;" src="https://motorsport.tv/embed/QB4TmZy9" width="1202" height="676" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>

Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen says drivers should quit if they aren&rsquo;t prepared for the intensity of super-close title battles.
<img src="https://production-cms-mss.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/max_verstappen_red_bull_racing_1_950149d617.webp" alt="" />
The Dutchman enjoyed an early end to the 2022 contest where his run of dominant form over the second half of the season meant he wrapped up his second drivers&rsquo; crown at the Japanese Grand Prix.
This was in stark contrast to his maiden title success in 2021 which went down to a nail-biting finale in Abu Dhabi and ended in controversial circumstances over the FIA&rsquo;s handling of a late-race safety car restart.
Verstappen famously said after the manner of that 2021 title battle with Lewis Hamilton that he could not face the stress of such a tight contest all the time.
Speaking to The Guardian, he said: &ldquo;You can&rsquo;t have that drama every single year, for sure. It&rsquo;s not good for me, it&rsquo;s not healthy for anyone in the team &ndash; both teams.&rdquo;
But as F1 gears up for a possible 24-race calendar in 2023, Verstappen is aware that the stresses and strains on drivers have every chance of increasing.
Asked if he was braced for what could be around the corner, Verstappen said he had no concerns about the complications of an increased challenge &ndash; or that he needed to be braced for bigger difficulties.
&ldquo;If you're not prepared, then it's better to stop already, right?&rdquo; he said &ldquo;I mean, I think we're all racers and we love racing.
&ldquo;Of course, it's just that it's nice to have a season like I had last year but it's also nice to have a season like I have this year. It just would be very tough if you have that every single year you know, the year I had last year.
&ldquo;But that also doesn't really happen in Formula 1, so it should be okay.&rdquo;
<img src="https://production-cms-mss.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/0_eba34399ff.jpg" alt="" width="1215" height="809" />
Verstappen&rsquo;s closest rival Charles Leclerc concurred that there was no choice other than to be ready for bigger and more intense seasons ahead.
&ldquo;I think we are all prepared for longer seasons,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I hope it will be tight. It's always nice to have a fight until the end. But yeah, I'm prepared for more races and for a longer fight hopefully.&rdquo;
While Red Bull was dominant this year once it had got on top of the weight handicap of its RB18, Verstappen does not think it a given that its margin over the opposition will carry forward in to 2023.
&ldquo;I do think it will be closer,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;People are understanding the cars a lot more and over time all the teams will just edge closer.
&ldquo;We know over the winter that we really have to keep pushing and keep trying to find performance, and not only performance: understanding possibly the tyres even more, because the tyres will change a bit for next year. So yeah, let's see how we are going to manage all of that.&rdquo;
<iframe style="width: 1218px; height: 685px;" src="https://motorsport.tv/embed/8FmULpTQ" width="1218" height="685" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>

Max Verstappen

By: Jonathan Noble

Speculation over the future of Ferrari Formula 1 team principal Mattia Binotto ramped up on Friday when reports out of Italy suggested his departure from the squad could be imminent.
<img src="https://production-cms-mss.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/mattia_binotto_team_principal_1_bd9209a76d.webp" alt="" />
Binotto had found himself at the centre of F1's rumour mill on the eve of the season finale in Abu Dhabi when stories emerged that Ferrari was lining up Alfa Romeo boss Fred Vasseur to replace him.
Ferrari moved quickly to deny the story though, with Binotto and the team's drivers repeatedly playing down talk of a change over the Abu Dhabi weekend.
However, the matter appears to have not gone away and a report in well-connected Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera on Friday suggested that Binotto was on the verge of announcing his resignation.
The stories suggested that negotiations were underway between Binotto and Ferrari's senior management to agree on the terms of his exit. It was suggested that a formal announcement from the team could be made as early as Friday.
Ferrari said on Friday that there was nothing "official" to say on the matter.
Corriere della Sera claimed that Binotto had come to the conclusion that he should not continue at Ferrari because he did not feel he had the full trust of president John Elkann.
It was as recently as the Italian GP that Elkann moved to dismiss any talk that Binotto's place at Ferrari was under threat in the wake of its failure to launch a better challenge against Red Bull this season.
<img src="https://production-cms-mss.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/mattia_binotto_team_principal_1_f583b72e7b.jpg" alt="" width="1150" height="766" />
However, he did make a clear point of suggesting that the squad needed to iron out critical errors that had cost it valuable points this season.
"We have great faith in Mattia Binotto and appreciate everything he and all our engineers have done, but there is no doubt that the work in Maranello, in the garage, on the pit wall and at the wheel needs to improve," Elkann told Gazzetta dello Sport.
"We must continue to make progress and that goes for the mechanics, the engineers, the drivers and obviously, the entire management team, including the team principal.
"We have seen that there are still too many mistakes when it comes to reliability, driving and strategy."
"Putting our trust in Binotto and his team was the right decision and it has paid off. Thanks to them we are competitive and winning again. But I am not satisfied because I think we can always do better."
In Abu Dhabi last weekend, Binotto said he had again received assurances from Elkann about his future in the wake of the Vasseur stories.
"Obviously when this speculation came out, I had a chat with my chairman, John Elkann," said Binotto.
"We discussed openly what was the best way to move forward. We decided to release a statement was maybe the best way to close any speculation. Clearly there is speculation, totally with no foundation."
It is unclear if things have changed since the Abu Dhabi GP, where Ferrari achieved its weekend aims in securing second place in the constructors' championship, with Charles Leclerc securing the runner-up spot.
Binotto has been a stalwart at Ferrari, having originally joined the team in 1995 and working his way through the ranks to become team principal at the start of 2019 as a replacement for Maurizio Arrivabene.
If Binotto's exit from Ferrari is confirmed then it will leave the team chasing a replacement ahead of a critical winter where it wants to make a step to progress on track in 2023.
Vasseur is a logical target, but one other option could be to make Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna a temporary stand-in to oversee matters as the team focuses on next year's challenger.
<iframe style="width: 1205px; height: 678px;" src="https://motorsport.tv/embed/UEhL2mOt" width="1205" height="678" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>

large_mattia-binotto-team-principal--1.jpg

medium_mattia-binotto-team-principal--1.jpg

small_mattia-binotto-team-principal--1.jpg

thumbnail_mattia-binotto-team-principal--1.jpg

mattia-binotto-team-principal--1.jpg

By: Jonathan Noble Co-author: Franco Nugnes

Two extreme aero ideas introduced by Mercedes and Aston Martin this year have been banned for the 2023 Formula 1 season.
<img src="https://production-cms-mss.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/0_a6a266187a.jpg" alt="" width="1241" height="827" />
The innovative concepts, involving the Mercedes front wing endplate and the Aston Martin rear wing, have been made illegal through changes in F1's technical regulations.
Both concepts raised eyebrows when they were introduced because, while fully complying with the wording of the rules and being deemed legal by the FIA, they appeared to go against a broad concept that car designs to increase performance did not make it harder for cars to follow each other.
Mercedes' radical front wing endplate first appeared at the Miami Grand Prix and featured a unique design in the intersection between the flapped section and the endplate.
This was done in order to try to recoup some of the outwash that was lost with the new regulations.
The flaps had been swept forward very aggressively in the outer section, so the rear lower edge of the endplate was completely detached from the flaps.
Meanwhile, Aston Martin came under the spotlight at the Hungarian Grand Prix when it introduced a rear-wing design that appeared to break one of the key intentions of the 2022 rules.
Its design featured a unique arrangement on the front portion of the endplate that allowed the main plane to butt up to it in a more traditional way, thus increasing its span and the downforce that can be generated.
The new regulations had hoped to bid farewell to the traditional endplate and wing interaction of the past, with a curved transition between the elements.
This was designed to reduce the strength of the tip vortex, thereby limiting airflow disruption and helping in the overall goal of making it easier for cars to follow one another.
While the FIA was happy with both concepts to allow them to be used this year, formal tweaks have been made to the 2023 technical regulations to ensure that the grey areas that allowed them have been tidied up.
The FIA's single-seater technical director Nikolas Tombazis said: "Obviously this year they were both legal. The regulations have changed on both the front and the rear in different ways to stop those solutions."
This has been done through alteration of the rules that are now stricter regarding the sweeping back of front wing flaps, as well as being more specific about rear wing tip definitions.
Performance advantage
<img src="https://production-cms-mss.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/2_81da710c60.webp" alt="" />
Despite the Aston Martin idea now being banned, its performance director Tom McCullough said he was still proud of the fact that his team had created something so bold amid the restrictive 2022 rules.
"I think what was nice this year is the fact that we came up with something novel and new," he said when asked by Motorsport.com for his thoughts on it getting outlawed.
"It was a very difficult interpretation of the rules that added performance to our car. It was a part that people couldn't just copy quickly because of how complicated it was to get around several different regulations.
"So in a way, we've sort of had that advantage this year because, by the time we brought it to Budapest, it's quite late for people to react to understand it and, from the cost cap [perspective], they had already made their high downforce wings. So for me, I was really happy.
"A lot of people were involved in that project for a long time, many months in the toing and froing between the FIA. But I understand: our job is always to make the most of the regulations and, if they change, we have to adapt to that really."
Proper processes
<img src="https://production-cms-mss.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/3_975e5baebe.webp" alt="" />
Tombazis has made it clear that, while there is wording within the rules that prevent teams from introducing designs that hurt the racing, the FIA will always go through the proper regulatory processes to close down such possibilities.
This means discussing it with teams, and going through the F1 Commission and FIA's World Motorsport Council to make changes for subsequent seasons.
Article 3.2.1 of F1's Technical Regulations states: "An important objective of the Regulations in Article 3 is to enable cars to race closely, by ensuring that the aerodynamic performance loss of a car following another car is kept to a minimum. In order to verify whether this objective has been achieved, Competitors may be required on request to supply the FIA with any relevant information."
Asked if the changes for 2023 were prompted by concerns about the designs hurting the racing, Tombazis said: "Some of these things where we changed the rules are in that category.
"But that article [3.2] wasn't intended that: 'Okay, if you're smart and you have a solution, we're going to take it off the car immediately.' It just gave an explanation about sometimes why we have to intervene with the regulations.
"But we've still done it via governance. We don't have the right to just say: we don't like this, let's ban it."
<iframe style="width: 1248px; height: 702px;" src="https://motorsport.tv/embed/UEhL2mOt" width="1248" height="702" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>

Mercedes

by Jonathan Noble

The Richard Mille Racing LMP2 team has folded following the conclusion of the 2022 FIA World Endurance Championship season in Bahrain.
<img src="https://production-cms-mss.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/0_e31ec43069.jpg" alt="" width="1213" height="808" />
In a statement released on Wednesday, Richard Mille said the brand will 'evolve while remaining faithful to its initial objectives', without revealing if it plans to continue its involvement in motorsport in some capacity in 2023.
The team was founded by watch magnate and the Chairman of FIA&rsquo;s endurance commission, Richard Mille, in 2020 with the aim of promoting female talent in international motorsport.
The outfit began life in the European Le Mans series with an all-female crew comprising Tatiana Calderon, Sophia Floersch and Beitske Visser, before it graduated to WEC&rsquo;s LMP2 class in 2021 with the same line-up.
It switched to a mixed-gender crew this year as Charles Milesi, WRC legend Sebastien Ogier and later Paul-Loup Chatin joined Lilou Wadoux in the team&rsquo;s sole #1 Oreca 07-Gibson run by Signatech.
"Our initial aim in creating the Richard Mille Racing Team was to make a strong impact and highlight the lack of opportunities for female drivers,&rdquo; said Amanda Mille, head of the Richard Mille Racing Team project.&nbsp;
&ldquo;With an all-female line-up, the target was to take them to the highest level of motor racing. Our approach and performance, in no way inferior to that of our male counterparts, challenged biases. Gradually, we developed the project by listening to our drivers.&nbsp;
&ldquo;They all told us they would have succeeded in advancing in this world the day men asked to team up with them. We succeeded this year with excellent and enthusiastic drivers around our project: Lilou Wadoux, joined by Charles Milesi, Sebastien Ogier and Paul-Loup Chatin later on."
<img src="https://production-cms-mss.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/2_a7eb7fdb70.webp" alt="" />
During its three-year tenure in prototype racing, Richard Mille achieved several milestones, including the first entry of an all-female line-up at the Le Mans 24 Hours since 1991, when Lyn St. James, Desire Wilson and Cathy Muller shared a Spice SE90C.
Wadoux&rsquo;s performances in her rookie season helped her get nominated by the WEC organisation to become the first female driver to drive a Le Mans Hypercar (LMH), as she joined Toyota for the post-season test at the Bahrain International Circuit earlier this month.
Richard Mille finished ninth in both its seasons in the WEC, with a sixth-place class finish at Le Mans in 2022 being the highlight of its time in the championship.
Richard Mille didn&rsquo;t reveal how it plans to continue the project in 2023.
"Today, the Richard Mille Racing Team is closing the garage door,&rdquo; said Mille. &ldquo;A chapter closes, but a new adventure begins, in line with the project's genesis."
Following the departure of Richard Mille, the Signatech squad that handled the operational side of the team is expected to field two entries in the LMP2 class for Alpine next year, before the two parties join forces again in 2024 with a new LMDh car built by the French manufacturer.

Richard Mille Racing Team

By: Rachit Thukral

News