All the latest news from the racing world!
F1
There have been some issues with freight arriving at Sao Paulo for this weekend’s Grand Prix, apparently inclement weather meant that planes could not leave at their scheduled time, with some freight still to arrive at the track. F1 say it should not affect this weekend, but it could mean a long night for the teams tomorrow!
A new rule has been brought in that celebrities are not allowed bodyguards on the grid ahead of a race. This likely comes as a result of the backlash after Brundle was blocked on the grid from talking to Megan Thee Stallion. In my opinion it is a bit of overkill, in reaction to one small event, instead it would be better for F1 to make sure that every star coming to the event, is willing to participate, and not be hidden behind a veil, due to their status.
IndyCar
Kirkwood has secured an IndyCar seat on the grid for 2022, however not at the team we thought he would go to. He has joined AJ Foyt Racing for a full season next year, which would have not been a bad choice if Bourdais was staying with the team, yet it seems that they are keeping Kellett over Sebastien, which once again shows that money matters more than common sense. I hope that Kyle can show his talent, and not be cast aside as a result of poor equipment.
As was expected, De Francesco will be in the No. 29 for Andretti Autosport next year, taking Hinchcliffe’s seat. He is a promising young talent, so whilst he has sort of taken a seat from Kirkwood, you cannot blame anyone for this move. The final bit of driver news is that Hulkenberg will not be joining IndyCar, for what he called personal reasons, I imagine it could be due to the long distance between Europe and America.
It has been confirmed that the Detroit Grand Prix will return to the downtown streets from 2023, leaving the island of Belle Isle behind. It is ironic that just as the Belle Isle circuit was growing on people, they decide to change it, for a track layout that looks bland at best. A course made up of nothing but 90 degree corners on tight streets sounds like a dull race in my view, but I hope I am wrong.
MotoGP
Apologies for not covering the MotoGP race. Work is piling up, and the race wasn’t a thriller either to be fair. To summarise it, the pace from Ducati and Bagnaia was unbeatable, Mir was able to give some hope to Suzuki, and Alex Marquez had a breakthrough moment of the year, sadly as the year comes to end! The rest of the top 10 was filled with good rides from Pramac, Pol, Bastianini and Binder. Quartararo couldn’t recover from his qualifying, as the bikes around him had too much power for him to pass them, and when he tried harder, he ended up crashing! Olivera and Lecuona got involved in a horrible crash in the last few laps, which ended the race, and I am glad Miguel is fine.
-M
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