In the round-up: FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem says there is “no reason” not to expand the F1 grid up to 12 teams
In brief
“No reason” not to expand F1 to 12 teams – Ben Sulayem
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem says there is “no reason” not to expand the F1 grid up to 12 teams in light of Andretti and Cadillac’s intentions to join Formula 1.
Speaking at a press conference at the Dakar Rally, Ben Sulayem said the governing body would be open to approving any team considered good enough to enter F1 “even if they are small”.
“In general, if we look at the sustainability of Formula 1, we have to open it up to other brands. We can have up to 12 teams on the grid,” said Ben Sulayem.
“An OEM – manufacturer – will help make Formula 1 better and I see no reason for which we should not welcome new teams, especially the Americans. We have three races there already this year. We welcome any proposal to be one of the 12 teams. We accept good teams, even if they are small, as is the case with Haas. We hope that things will change and we will be able to have a proper eleventh team, we’ll see what happens.”
Colapinto joins Williams junior programme
FIA Formula 3 racer Franco Colapinto has signed for the Williams Driver Academy to become the F1 team’s newest junior driver.
The 19-year-old will compete in his second season of the main F3 championship this year, racing with MP Motorsport once more. Colapinto took two wins and five podiums in the championship last year on his way to finishing ninth in the overall standings.
“It’s a real honour to join Williams Racing as an academy driver,” said Colapinto. “They are one of the most successful teams in Formula 1 history and I am looking forward to following in the footsteps of my fellow countryman Carlos Reutemann.
“My first year in FIA F3 was all about learning and I will use all the knowledge I’ve gathered to aim for the title next year.”
F1 Manager 2022’s sales “lower than expected”
Shares in F1 Manager 2022 developer Frontier Developments fell 42% yesterday after reduced revenue projections for both 2023 and 2024.
Frontier released the first instalment in their F1 Manager franchise last year, but reported “lower than expected sales” of F1 Manager 2022 as well as underperformance in the company’s other titles and own publishing label.
The developer has a three-game contract for its officially licensed F1 Management game. The second title is expected to be released during the middle of this year’s season.
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Links
Motor racing links of interest:
Andretti bid row reflects turbulent relationship among F1’s powerbrokers (BBC)
“Insiders say Ben Sulayem’s tweet was likely in response to the cool response to the Andretti announcement from F1, and opposition to the bid behind closed doors from existing teams, who don’t have an official say in the process but certainly have a powerful voice.”
Q&A with Franco Colapinto (Williams)
“Find out more about the latest addition to our team!”
Arrow McLaren announces Mo Murray as VP, Marketing and Commercial (McLaren)
“Mo’s experience in motorsports spans from snow mobile and watercraft racing to Indy Lights and Moto GP in roles that evolved from mechanic and crew chief to executive leadership overseeing sales, licensing, branding and marketing. In his role at Arrow McLaren, Mo will help the team build its growing presence in North America and the IndyCar Series.”
“Eriksen will report directly to team ownership and oversee operations for the team’s involvement in the IndyCar Series and IMSA SportsCar Championship. Eriksen spent the past two seasons at Chip Ganassi Racing, overseeing their race-winning IMSA DPi program after a 30-year career at Honda where he most recently held the title of vice president and chief operating officer at Honda Performance Development.”
Lessons learned in F3 could boost rookie F2 performances – Arthur Leclerc (F2)
“I adapted to the car quite fast also. I’m pretty happy. Now, obviously, there is still some more work to do to find a bit more performance, but it was good. It’s been nice, especially because it’s a French team and I speak French, so it’s quite easy to relate with the team and get on with them.”
Prema, Mumbai Falcons set for 2023 start with full ranks (Prema)
“In addition to the previously announced Ugo Ugochukwu and Nicola Lacorte, PREMA will campaign a car for 17-year-old Filipino racer Bianca Bustamante, coming from her W Series debut in 2022. Mumbai Falcons will be racing with two Ferrari Driver Academy stalwarts and an up-and-coming Indian talent. James Wharton is returning to the championship after scoring four wins last year, partnered by rookie Tuukka Taponen, a 16-year-old karting champion making his single-seater debut. Joining them will be 17-year-old Muhammad Ibrahim.”
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