Races and Competitions

The F1 world is now eyeing yet another date for the delayed announcement of McLaren's 2015 driver lineup. The British team's board met at Woking on Thursday to reportedly discuss whether Jenson Button or Kevin Magnussen should be retained to be the first Honda-powered teammate for Fernando Alonso next year. Much of the F1 world was expecting an announcement to be made afterwards. "The meeting of the board was held today," a McLaren spokesman was quoted as saying late on Thursday by...

According to a recent report, Volkswagen is conducting a feasibility study into the possibility of entering Formula One. Citing sources close to the automaker, BBC Sport is reporting the feasibility study is being lead by former Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali who left for Audi earlier this year. They go on to say Volkswagen's interest has been spurred by Mercedes' recent championship win and the numerous marketing potential that Formula One provides.   Unfortunately, Bernie...

Just as Carlos Sainz settles in at Toro Rosso, it emerges that a major sponsor is staying with the Red Bull-owned team after all. When Sainz started out in the British and European F3 categories in 2012, we reported that he was doing so with the direct backing of Cepsa. The Spanish oil company has also been Toro Rosso's major backer. But while Red Bull remained undecided recently over promoting Sainz into F1 for 2015, it emerged that Cepsa was contemplating leaving Toro Rosso. Spain's El...

Aston Martin has teamed up with Hanergy Thin Film Power to test the benefits of using solar panels on their race cars. The first test was conducted last weekend as the #97 Vantage GTE was equipped with two solar panels on its roof. Aston Martin declined to go into specifics but said the panels can be used to help power auxiliary systems such as the air conditioner which currently consumes power from the engine. According to Aston Martin Racing Technical Director Dan Sayers, “The idea...

Abu Dhabi Racing driver Mohammed Al Sahlawi won first place in the Dubai International Rally, the final round of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship, in the 2WD class in his Citroën DS3 R3. Al Sahlawi came in front of teammate Mohamed Al Mutawaa who was crowned Middle East Rally champion in 2WD class. Saeed Bintouq finished third in the class ahead of Mansoor Belhelei who put in a brilliant performance at the Dubai International Rally, ending an excellent debut MERC season for both...

Toro Rosso late on Friday confirmed reports Carlos Sainz jr will complete the Red Bull-owned junior team's 2015 driver lineup. The 20-year-old Spaniard and new Formula Renault 3.5 champion will replace the Italian based team's driver of the past three seasons, Frenchman Jean-Eric Vergne. "Ever since I have been part of Red Bull's young driver programme, this has been my aim and I want to thank Red Bull for putting their faith in me," Sainz, whose father and namesake is the world rally...

After visiting nine countries in the Middle East and Africa, the Red Bull Car Park Drift 2014 will come to an end during the Regional Finals today in Dubai. The adrenaline-filled event will be part of the Dubai Motor Festival 2014 and is set to take place at the Meydan Hotel parking. Sixteen drivers will go head to head with their eyes on the ‘King of Drift’ title. The participants hail from UAE, KSA, Oman, Kuwait, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia and Mauritius and earned their spots in the...

Jean-Eric Vergne has announced his departure from Toro Rosso. On Twitter, the Red Bull-owned junior team's driver for the past three seasons said: "Despite a good season and 22 points, I'll not drive anymore for Toro Rosso in 2015. "Thanks for those years. Let's go for another big challenge," the 24-year-old Frenchman added. Speaking later to the French broadcaster Canal Plus, Vergne gave little away about his plans for 2015 and beyond. "All I can say is that I am working very hard with...

The Middle East is a rapidly growing market for motorsport, with racetracks and rally stages in different Middle East countries – including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Jordan, Lebanon and Qatar – hosting, in present day, plenty of international, regional and local racing activities. However, this growth cannot be fully attributed to race organizers and racetracks, for racing teams are also part of this ongoing expansion, and the quintessential success story is Abu Dhabi Racing. Abu...

FIA president Jean Todt insists he does not have unlimited powers to force change within the seemingly crisis-struck world of formula one. Two backmarkers collapsed in 2014 and three other outfits are furious about the concentration of power and income in the paddock. Efforts to cut costs this year notably failed, and fingers of blame have been pointed in the direction of the sport's ultra low-profile Todt, who many are now contrasting with his dictatorial predecessor Max Mosley. "What...