All the latest news from the racing world!
F1
It was confirmed today that Otmar Szafnauer has left Aston Martin, after 12 years with the team. He has been a great part of the team, and arguably brought them to their most successful period in the sport. There has been speculation of his departure for a few months, especially since Martin Whitmarsh joined the company. He is linked with Alpine, as a potential replacement for Davide Brivio, who is already talking about returning to MotoGP, after only a year in F1.
McLaren are keen to continue with their one off liveries in the future, they had a completely different livery in Monaco last year, which was a beautiful tribute to the old Gulf livery, and slightly altered their design for the season finale at Abu Dhabi. I personally would love every team to do a one off livery at Monaco, to add some more spice back into the event, and wouldn’t be against each team doing another one or two through the season as well. I would say that changing the liveries too much can confuse fans though, as we often see in IndyCar.
IndyCar
Kevin Kalkhoven has passed away after fighting a short illness. A lot of people may not know who he is, but he was instrumental in the creation of the modern IndyCar series as we know it. He got involved in racing in 2002, when he became a co-owner of the Champ Car series, after buying CART’s assets. He even formed his own teams to help boost the series he owned, and helped the crown jewel events of the championship. After his series merged with IRL, he continued as a team owner until 2016, when the team dissolved. He never left the sport though, he helped events and companies around the sport, including Cosworth. I send my best to his friends and family.
Local government has allowed the Grand Prix of Long Beach to continue to run until 2028, which is huge news for the sport. The Long Beach race is an iconic race for the series, and attracts a lot of fans and sponsors, it is also the second longest running event. The long deal that has been made, shows how strong IndyCar is right now, and that California wants to be a part of it.
Formula E
Andretti Team Principal Roger Griffiths, has suggested, that even lowering the cost cap below €13 million, would have got more support than the current figure. Given the recent departure of BMW from his team, it suggests that the German marque weren’t willing to spend as much on the project as was expected, which is a worrying sign for a still young series, which should be on the brink of new technology.
MotoGP
After a long negotiation process, Aramco will not be the title sponsor of the VR46 team, instead, an Italian banking firm called Mooney will take their place. It is surprising how difficult it was for the team to get it all done, given the high profile team boss they have. It could reflect the time we are in, or the lack of trust in the rider line up.
Other News
In the build up for the new season, controversy is starting up in NASCAR, around the unfortunate ‘Let’s go Brandon’ situation. Firstly, I feel so sorry for Brandon Brown, who through no fault of his own, may have had his career ruined. The controversy has come, however, through his proposed new sponsor for 2022, which was a cryptocurrency referencing the infamous chant. It seems that at first NASCAR allowed the sponsor, until the public lashed out about it, at which point NASCAR changed their mind, and seem to pretend they never allowed it. Obviously, this story could be the other way around, and the team may have lied, but it would fit a pattern if NASCAR hid the truth from us.
-M
Meaning of Motorsport 