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Eng “100% interested” in BMW Andretti Formula E spot

DTM driver Philipp Eng says he is “100% interested” and “wishing” for the BMW Andretti seat in Formula E, now vacant after Alexander Sims signed for Mahindra Racing.

Although Sims will continue his association with the German manufacturer as a GT driver, he left BMW’s FE squad after two seasons in which he scored three pole positions and a race win.

With two-time E-Prix victor Maximilian Guenther extending his deal at the team for the 2020-21 term, Austrian racer Eng – who drives for BMW Team RBM in the DTM – has emerged as a favourite for the seat after his recent test in the iFE.20 car.

When asked by Autosport if he was interested in an all-electric move, Eng said: “Yes, 100%.

“It’s a great championship with many, many great drivers in there.

“I was obviously following Formula E anyway because BMW is heavily involved, and they had a

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Hamilton launches X44 race team to contest maiden Extreme E season – Formula E

Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton has launched his own motorsport team – X44 – which will contest the maiden Extreme E season in a major coup for the electric off-road series.

The move marks Hamilton’s first role in team ownership, with the squad’s X44 name referencing the #44 race number that the Mercedes grand prix driver has carried in F1 since 2014.

Hamilton will not race for his own team, with X44’s driver pairing – one female and one male, as mandated by XE’s rules – yet to be announced.

Hamilton said: “It’s an exciting new project and it will be fun to have a different role from being the team driver.

“What is most appealing though, is that the Extreme E championship will be not only raising awareness of some of the most critical environmental issues facing our planet, but also doing something about it through working with

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Automotive
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Eng “100% interested” in BMW Andretti Formula E spot – Formula E

DTM driver Philipp Eng says he is “100% interested” and “wishing” for the BMW Andretti seat in Formula E, now vacant after Alexander Sims signed for Mahindra Racing.

Although Sims will continue his association with the German manufacturer as a GT driver, he left BMW’s FE squad after two seasons in which he scored three pole positions and a race win.

With two-time E-Prix victor Maximilian Guenther extending his deal at the team for the 2020-21 term, Austrian racer Eng – who drives for BMW Team RBM in the DTM – has emerged as a favourite for the seat after his recent test in the iFE.20 car.

When asked by Autosport if he was interested in an all-electric move, Eng said: “Yes, 100%.

“It’s a great championship with many, many great drivers in there.

“I was obviously following Formula E anyway because BMW is heavily involved, and they had a

… Read More
Automotive
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250 Italian Doctors and Nurses Will Be 2020’s First Formula 1 Spectators

For the past several months, healthcare professionals the world over have put their lives on the line in the fight against COVID-19. Adequately thanking them for their sacrificed time, health, and, in some cases, lives, borders on the impossible, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth trying. Ferrari certainly is, and not with clapping or flowers, but by giving 250 doctors and nurses tickets Formula 1’s Italian Grand Prix, making them the sport’s first spectators in nine months.

To be dispersed throughout the grandstands of Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, the 250 healthcare professionals will be the first members of the public to view a Grand Prix in person since last December’s Abu Dhabi race. They will enjoy the privilege of watching Scuderia Ferrari make its 999th Grand Prix start, though given the team’s difficult 2020 so far, it is unlikely the venerable Italian team will repeat its display of race-winning

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FE team Techeetah joins Extreme E to replace Venturi – Formula E

The Techeetah team which has dominated Formula E in recent years will contest the debut season of the Extreme E series to replace Venturi after its decision to withdraw.

Venturi Automobiles became the first squad to enter the all-electric off-road SUV racing series, having contested FE since its inaugural 2014-15 season.

The Monaco-based concern is also recognised for its electric land-speed record attempts but has now pulled out of XE to focus on FE and “an innovative programme around space travel”.

It will be replaced by Techeetah as the seventh entry and be led by team principal Mark Preston, who has overseen DS Techeetah’s run to two successive teams’ and three drivers’ titles in FE in the past three seasons.

XE founder and CEO Alejandro Agag said: “Techeetah has achieved unrivalled success in recent seasons in Formula E so it is fantastic to be able to welcome them into our

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Is Russell Mercedes’ next Formula 1 star?



a person in a newspaper: Magazine: Is Russell Mercedes' next Formula 1 star?

© LAT Images
Magazine: Is Russell Mercedes’ next Formula 1 star?

Will George Russell replace Lewis Hamilton as the next Mercedes Formula 1 star?

That’s one of the key questions we take on in the cover story of this week’s Autosport magazine (27 August issue). Grand Prix Editor Alex Kalinauckas speaks to both Russell and Williams head of vehicle performance Dave Robson about the 22-year-old Briton’s strengths and weaknesses, how Williams has improved, and the chances of Russell graduating to the multiple-championship-winning Silver Arrows squad.

Russell’s links to Mercedes and test outings with the team have given him confidence to push for what he needs at Williams, and his fine performances – as well as his stellar career on his way to F1 – make him one of the leading candidates for when Valtteri Bottas leaves, or when Hamilton decides to retire.

The sale of Williams to Dorilton Capital has

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Formula 2 permanently retires number 19 in memory of Hubert – F2

Formula 2 has announced it is permanently retiring car number 19 from its championship in memory of Anthoine Hubert, one year on from his death at Spa.

Hubert was killed at the age of 22 in a crash during the opening stages of last year’s F2 Feature Race at Spa.

The 2018 GP3 Series champion was racing for Arden at the time with car number 19, which was absent from the entry list for the remainder of the season following his death.

F2 also opted against using the car number for the 2020 season, with neither #18 or #19 appearing on the grid.

Ahead of F2’s return to Spa this weekend, the series has now confirmed that #19 has been retired permanently from the championship in memory of Hubert.

“Nearly one year on from the tragic passing of Anthoine Hubert at Spa, Formula 2 officially confirms that the number 19

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Automotive
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Todt: Indianapolis return would be “very good” for Formula 1 – F1

FIA President Jean Todt believes that Formula 1 returning to Indianapolis Motor Speedway would be very good for the sport because it “has all the ingredients” of an F1 venue.

Todt, who is in Indianapolis to attend the 104th running of the Indianapolis 500, spent Saturday morning at IMS in the company of its new owner Roger Penske.

The IMS road course hosted Formula 1’s US Grand Prix between 2000 and 2007, the last race held in the US until 2012 when it returned at the new Circuit of The Americas in Austin.

Speaking to assembled media including Autosport, Todt said he was “very impressed” with the revamped facilities at IMS.

Asked by Autosport if a potential return to Indianapolis is something the FIA would support, Todt replied: “Well you know the responsibility of the calendar is with the commercial rights holder, but clearly Indianapolis has all the ingredients of

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Russell tips Ilott to beat Shwartzman to Formula 2 title – F2

Williams Formula 1 driver George Russell has tipped Callum Ilott to win this year’s Formula 2 title, believing his compatriot will beat Robert Shwartzman to the crown.

Russell was previously in the same field as Ilott when they raced in European Formula 3 in 2016, and went on to step up to F1 three years later following successive title wins in the GP3 Series and F2.

Ilott spent an additional year in F3 before moving into GP3 in 2018, where he fought for the title before graduating up to F2 last year.

The UNI-Virtuosi driver currently leads fellow Ferrari junior Shwartzman by 18 points at the top of the F2 standings, and has been on pole for three of the last four race weekends.

Russell revealed in Spain last weekend that he had been keeping an eye on how the F2 season was unfolding.

The Williams racer praised former Hitech

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Automotive
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When Formula 1 meets Caterham racing – National

The two categories may seem poles apart but, for Mercedes AMG HPP engineer and Caterham 310R racer James Wingfield, the same approach can be applied to both, as STEPHEN LICKORISH discovers

On the surface, Formula 1 and Caterham racing don’t have too much in common. But for one Caterham 310R driver, the two very different worlds are intertwined.

While at the weekends James Wingfield is a Caterham racer, his day job involves a far higher level of the sport as he is a team leader at Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains at Brixworth. And, whenever possible, he tries to apply the approach adopted by F1 teams to his club racing exploits.

Before joining Mercedes in 2015, Wingfield held a number of engineering roles at various companies, including working for Ricardo and being part of the RML team that developed the engine for the revolutionary hybrid lithium battery-powered Nissan ZEOD that

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Automotive