Announcements Tag

By Adam Tate, Associate Editor American businessman Zak Brown, founder of the world’s largest motorsports marketing firm, Just Marketing International (JMI) has just accepted the role of Executive Director at McLaren. The news comes in the wake of the shock departure of longtime McLaren Chief, Ron Dennis who will see his tenure expire with his contract at the end of 2016. McLaren has been adamant to emphasize that Brown will not replace Dennis, but rather collaborate with company COO Jonathan Neale to lead the business side of the company, and thatRead More

By Adam Tate, Associate Editor The previously unthinkable has come to pass, Ron Dennis has stepped down from his role as Chairman and Chief Executive at McLaren. The news comes after much speculation since the team’s troubled performance and lack of results in Formula One. Dennis had planned to buyout fellow shareholders Mansour Ojjeh, and the Bahraini Sovereign Wealth Fund in order to take full control over the company. In his attempts to do so he tried and failed at luring tech giant Apple into a potential buyout or investment dealRead More

By Adam Tate, Associate Editor US based Liberty Media’s $8 billion buyout plan of Formula One is set to face its first regulatory hurdle as the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) may mount an investigation into the plan to ensure that the deal doesn’t violate antitrust and anti-competition laws. The CMA released the following statement on the matter. “The CMA is considering whether it is or may be the case that this transaction has resulted in the creation of a relevant merger situation under the merger provisions of the Enterprise ActRead More

By Adam Tate, Associate Editor After much speculation Williams has finally announced that European F3 Champion Lance Stroll will join Valtteri Bottas for the 2017 Formula One season, replacing retiring veteran Felipe Massa. Stroll, who turned 18 last Saturday, has followed in the path of Max Verstappen, by showing incredible promise in the junior series. In further assistance to Williams and its battle to stay at the sharp end of the grid is Lawrence Stroll, his billionaire father, an investor and fashion magnate in their native Canada, who also happens toRead More

By Josh Farmer, IndyCar Reporter The new Verizon IndyCar Series body kits will have a radically different, yet somewhat familiar look when they debut in 2018. According to RACER, the design will take some styling cues from the Panoz DP-01, the final car to race in the Champ Car World Series in 2007. Some of the changes will include the removal of the airbox above the driver’s head, replacing with a traditional rollover bar design. The sidepods will also be grow in size to fill in the large area behindRead More

By Adam Tate, Associate Editor In a special press conference inside the Williams Martini motor-home Felipe Massa emotionally announced that he will retire from Formula One at the end of the season. “I must start by especially thanking my wife and my father, my whole family, my manager Nicolas and all the people who have supported me throughout my career. Thank you to God for giving me the opportunities I have had in life and, above all, for protecting me. A huge thank you as well to everyone I have workedRead More

By Adam Tate, Associate Editor In a special press conference held today from Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Dutch brewery Heineken finally unveiled its new and much speculated sponsorship deal with Formula One. The deal runs through 2020 but has an option to extend through 2023 and is reportedly worth up to $250 million. A major tenet of the deal will see Heineken serve as the title sponsor for three races per season from 2017 on, they will also be the title sponsor for this September’s Italian Grand Prix as well.Read More

By Adam Tate, Associate Editor Over half a year since confirmation came that Pirelli would continue its role as the sole tire supplier for Formula One, contracts have been completed and plans are coming to fruition. Former Williams and Lotus driver Pastor Maldonado has served as tire tester for the Italian manufacturer as it researched potential compounds and constructions for the bigger, wider tires set to debut in 2017. Pirelli also confirmed that the first three teams to test the 2017 compounds will be the big three of Mercedes, Ferrari andRead More

By Adam Tate, Associate Editor Renault announced this weekend that they are set to continue supplying power units for Red Bull Racing through 2018 and return to supplying them for Toro Rosso starting next year. It completes an extraordinary turn around in the once fraught relationship between Red Bull and the French car manufacturer. Red Bull’s top brass bit the hand that fed them four world championships like petulant children when Renault’s power units failed to initially live up to the high standard set by Mercedes. A major caveat for RedRead More

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The latest generation of chassis that will form the basis for the first two steps on the acclaimed Mazda Road to Indy open-wheel racing development ladder – which offers Mazda scholarships to allow racers to progress all the way from the grassroots of the sport to the Verizon IndyCar Series – was unveiled this morning at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during the lead up to the historic 100th Indianapolis 500. The new Tatuus USF-17 will be the series’ standard for at least the next five years, andRead More