Rao joined the FIA in June as its interim secretary general for motorsport, replacing Peter Bayer following his exit from the governing body. Rao previously worked at the FIA as its legal director between 2016 and 2018 before joining Mercedes, serving as general counsel and later as a special advisor to team principal Toto Wolff. […]
Month: November 2022
Mercedes can avoid F1’s spiral of decline precedent
For the first time since the turbo hybrid rules were introduced in 2014, Mercedes failed to win either a drivers’ or constructors’ championship this year. But with F1 history books often showing that dominant teams can spend years in the doldrums once they are finally beaten, Mercedes knows that there is a risk this year’s dip in form may not be a […]
The Vauxhall Lotus double act that spawned a 30-year friendship
Three front runners emerge when Autosport asks two-time CART Indycar champion Gil de Ferran for his favourite team-mate, before the 2003 Indianapolis 500 winner selects a driver he spent but one season racing alongside back in 1990. Their careers might have gone in different directions, but de Ferran and David Coulthard have been firm friends […]
F1 won’t suffer from “complete mess” triggered by FTX crypto collapse
The recent bankruptcy of FTX in the wake of an $8 billion liquidity crunch sent panic through the crypto markets – 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 […]
Vettel reveals story behind last F1 race ‘Invitation’ T-shirt
Vettel retired from grand prix racing after the Yas Marina event last weekend, having decided to call time on his career so he can spend more time at home with his family. It also comes against the backdrop of him becoming an environmental campaigner, having done much to raise the profile of climate and social concerns over […]
Unbranded Aston Martin brought back memories of 2002 Jaguar F1 test
Ahead of his move to Aston Martin for 2023, Alonso was permitted to complete a first run with the team earlier this week in the post-season test at the Yas Marina Circuit. Alonso completed 97 laps in the Aston Martin AMR22 car, and said he was now “100-plus” per cent happy with his decision to leave Alpine for […]
F1 drivers should quit if not prepared for marathon battles
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’ 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 […]
Tickets for F1 Spanish Grand Prix and Catalan MotoGP 2023 now on sale
The circuit hosts races for both series in the summer months, as thousands of racing fans head to the Catalan capital for action under the Spanish sun. The Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix is set to take place on 4 June, with Spaniards Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz will be hoping to give the fans […]
Max Verstappen samples Honda NSX-GT Super GT car
The two-time Formula 1 world champion is one of several international stars from across the Honda two-wheel and four-wheel motorsport stable slated to appear in Sunday’s celebration, which will mark the first running of Thanks Day since Japan’s borders opened following the COVID-19 pandemic. Verstappen is set to take part in a special demo run […]
Binotto admits “difficult” time in dealing with Ferrari F1 criticisms
While Ferrari made a step forward in 2022 and finished runner-up in both championships, its best result since 2018, the year was not without its disappointments. And in particular Ferrari found itself in the firing line after seeing a number of possible victories ruined by poor reliability, strategy errors or driver mistakes. Reflecting on the […]