F1 Saudi Arabian GP: Verstappen tops final practice as Zhou suffers heavy crash

Charles Leclerc finished second for Ferrari, with Sergio Perez third in the other RB20 and Carlos Sainz’s illness-replacement, Oliver Bearman, taking 10th in the second of the Scuderia’s machines.Sauber’s Valtteri Bottas ventured out on track first, with plenty of attention already on Bearman – a crowd of cameras and photographers clustered in front of what is now his garage.Bottas posted …Keep reading

Audi confirms takeover of Sauber; appoints Seidl as F1 CEO

As reported by Autosport earlier this week, Audi has approved plans for a full takeover of the shareholding of the Sauber team from current owner Islero Investments AG. This had initially only been expected to be completed by 2026.Audi has also outlined further commitment to the project, having appointed Oliver Hoffmann, its former chief development officer, to become chairman of the board of …Keep reading

Who is Sainz’s F1 Saudi Arabian GP replacement Oliver Bearman?

Bearman’s even younger Prema team-mate Andrea Kimi Antonelli has been all the rage recently as Mercedes ponders its driver options for 2025, but Bearman is equally seen as a superstar of the future.Following success in karting and Formula 4, the Chelmsford native was invited to the Ferrari Driver Academy Scouting World Finals in 2021, where he impressed Ferrari enough to earn a spot in its …Keep reading

The top 10 female racers of all time

My first ideas for the top 10 female race and rally drivers of all time included entries from all over the world, maybe with one or two unsung heroines and some historical pioneers. However, looking at the cold, hard statistics of the best and fastest women of their day gave a different picture. Motorsport has had a far bigger share of female success than we think, and that’s even in the modern …Keep reading

Aston Martin surprised Alpine let F1 tech veteran Bell go

As revealed by Autosport earlier this week, Bell ended his association with Alpine shortly before it was announced that he had joined Aston Martin as its new technical executive director.In his new role, he will oversee the technical, engineering and performance functions of the Silverstone-based squad and report directly to team principal Mike Krack.Bell’s switch to Aston Martin ends his long …Keep reading

Bearman replaces Sainz at Ferrari for Saudi Arabian GP after appendicitis diagnosis

Sainz reported feeling unwell earlier in the week, which made him sit out his media commitments on Wednesday.He took part in Thursday’s two free practice sessions, setting the seventh-fastest time in the latter, but still reported he couldn’t push to the limit in the car after a “tough” 24 hours.It has now emerged that the 29-year-old Spaniard is struck by appendicitis and will need to undergo …Keep reading