Year: 2024

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Rallye Monte-Carlo 2024 Preview

The World Rally Championship returns this weekend with the first round of this season. The 92nd running of this absolute classic and legendary round will actually see the two-time and reigning champions Kalle and Jonne sit this one out.

Let’s take a look at the stages facing the crews for this first round then. They have 324km’s over seventeen stages. Shakedown is happening on Wednesday afternoon with a short 3.28km stage. The first run as always will be shown on the WRC YouTube channel. The first two stages happen on Thursday evening. Saturday sees the longest day of stages with 120km’s over six stages.

Of course, this is the first round with the new points system in place and there is a lot of opinion about this change. It will be interesting to see what the result of this all will be in terms of the championship points standings.

Let’s hear from the drivers.

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Elfyn Evans

“It’s always exciting to start a new season, especially with Rallye Monte-Carlo. The 2023 season was a nice progression for us that showed we’re going in the right direction. Of course, we want even more in 2024 but it’s not going to be easy to achieve that. We know that the competition will be tough like usual, so as a team we’re always working to continually improve and we’re ready to give this season our best shot. With Rallye Monte-Carlo moving north again this year, we’re much more likely to see wintery conditions forming part of the challenge. We had some tricky conditions in our pre-event test, so that provided some good practice, but this rally is all about adapting to whichever conditions we face during the weekend.”

Sébastien Ogier

“I’m happy to be at the start of another season after all these years, and I take this opportunity with both hands. The last couple of years have been good fun with the team and we managed to secure some good results. I think we want to keep going this way as long as we can and that’s the plan for 2024, starting with Rallye Monte-Carlo of course. For me this is a must-do event and there’s a lot of hopes for this first rally. I think it’s the rally that you need to respect more than any other as the conditions can be so challenging, which means that nothing is guaranteed. Numbers are never my main motivation, but if I could get a 10th win on this event it would be something very special.”

Takamoto Katsuta

“It’s always nice to be back in the mountains around Monte Carlo ready to start a new season. Every year there is more expectation, but I like this pressure and I want to fight at the front, so I will try to have even better results in 2024. I want to be consistently in the podium fight, and to try to get a first victory. I will enjoy it and keep pushing the limits and working hard. The engineers are pushing a lot to improve the car further and I can feel in the factory that everybody is working hard, so I’m confident that we can be even better than last year. Rallye Monte-Carlo is one of the trickiest rallies in terms of the conditions with difficult tyre choices, but we’re up for the challenge.”

 

Hyundai Motorsport

Thierry Neuville

“I’m glad to be able to continue my journey with Hyundai in my 11th season with the team. They have shown me a lot of trust and I have helped them develop the car over the last two years. Our 2024 targets are to push hard for both the drivers’ and manufacturers’ championships, and the first step to achieving that is to perform well at Monte Carlo. It’s a challenging event due to the unpredictable weather conditions and varying surface profile, especially on the night stages. We have been competitive there in the past and know what it takes to stand on the podium. This year we are going to try for the best possible result, which we hope will be towards the front of the field.”

Ott Tänak

“Starting the season at Monte-Carlo is always a challenge. This year the event is moving back to the Gap region, so we are expecting the conditions to be mixed and tricky, with the potential of more snow and ice than we have had the past few seasons. Although we only had one day at the test, we were quite lucky with the conditions, as we were able to run on slick tyres in addition to experiencing wetter and icier roads. Overall, the feeling in the car was good and we found a nice rhythm. Our target at the rally itself is to achieve a podium finish, but of course we will push for the best result possible.”

Andreas Mikkelsen

“Coming back to the top class of rally from WRC2 is really exciting, and it feels really very good to return with Hyundai Motorsport. A completely new car and regulations creates a different environment for me, but it I am ready to take on the challenge. I’m very happy to be starting with Monte-Carlo this year – it’s an exciting rally with so many factors at play. Tyre choice and strategy plays a big part in success there, which means it is possible to achieve a good result even when you don’t know the car so well and haven’t found maximum pace. I want to finish the rally in the best position possible, and after a win here in WRC2 in 2022, I am determined to push until the very last stage to collect as many points as we can.”

 

M-Sport Ford WRT

Adrien Fourmaux

“Our Monte-Carlo test went really well, and I had a really good feeling with the car on the mixed conditions that we had on the first day. It’s been positive and I was really happy to be back in a Rally1 car. On the second day we had a full snow stage, with some tarmac also, but it will be a really interesting drive if the snow comes for the rally. It doesn’t seem like we will have that much snow, but at least we are prepared, we never know in the mountains!

“So now we feel really prepared, but we know that at Monte Carlo you need to be humble. You need to have a lot of respect for this rally; especially this year as we go back into the Alps in the proper mountainous areas, where you can have really difficult conditions with snow and ice. So, for sure it will be a tough one, as it normally is in this area of France, but the real challenge will be the weather and the condition of the stages.”

Grégoire Munster

“During pre-season testing we had two good days, one in the snow and one on tarmac. On the snow it went very well, and even though we are not sure if we are going to have those conditions on the rally, if it does then we are fully prepared. For the tarmac testing we got some good mileage, and we tried some different settings and tyre combinations.

“We are fully motivated to start the season well and we are looking forward to getting moving. We want to start the season properly and try to finish the rally by not making mistakes. If we kick off the year on a positive note, we can carry on the momentum and build up the pace throughout the season.”

 

Rally2

Škoda Motorsport

Oliver Solberg

“Rallye Monte-Carlo…” said Oliver. “Just saying the name is exciting. I think everybody in the world knows about this rally – it’s just so famous. And just so difficult!”

“I want to carry on where I left off last year,” he said. “I felt good with the car, everything was comfortable. Now I have more experience with the car and the team, it would be nice to go and set some more fastest times for the Rally2 cars and see what we can do.”

The route has changed significantly from last year, meaning some unfamiliar territory for Oliver. It’s also almost four months since he competed in the Škoda, so pre-season running has helped reacquaint him with the car.

“While we start and finish in Monaco, the rally is actually based out of the town of Gap in the mountains,” Oliver explained. “That means the roads we’re using are further north than where we have been in previous years. I don’t know these places so well, but this is a good opportunity to take more experience of these stages.

“For sure, I think we can expect more changeable and more winter weather, which should make it a real challenge. I’m excited to get going now. We have completed some testing in the off-season which was a good opportunity to be back in the car – it’s quite a long time since I was competing with the Fabia.

“We’re so happy to be working with Škoda Motorsport this season – it’s going to be a good one.”

Summary

Well, here we go again!! First round of thirteen and the challenge of Monte-Carlo never changes. The move to stages based around Gap may bring the snow and ice to the stages, something that the fans will love with the added spectacle when the cars are on the stage.

 

Let’s see who fights for the win!

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Rich Millener Interview – Autosport International 2024

Rich is the team principle of the M-Sport Ford World Rally Team and has been for around four years. I had the opportunity to speak to him on the second day of the Autosport Show when he and Adrien Fourmaux unveiled the Puma Rally1 with its 2024 livery.

I started by asking him about the new points system that has been introduced for this year and what he thought about it.

Rich

“I’m positive about it, because it gives a lot of opportunity, the sport needs to develop, and keep developing to be relevant. Last time we developed was when power stage points were introduced about five years ago if not more. We’re really done nothing since. I know this is a big change for the die-hard fans, but for me I think it’s an opportunity for a young driver team like us. We will probably have an advantageous road positions on some rallies, so for the first two days, we could have a great result could be top three, whatever, and we know when we get to Sunday, we’ve already bagged some points. Currently if you get to Saturday night, you’ve still got to push or be sensible. Now you can be sensible on Sunday knowing even if you have a bad Sunday, you’re still getting your points for Friday and Saturday. Also, more of a team involvement. Unfortunately, with rally at the moment the minute the car leaves the service the team does not do a lot. When people follow a sport, the characters they follow are not only the drivers, but the team as well, and yet maybe people know who I am, who Malcolm is and the drivers, they don’t know who the mechanics are, who the strategy people are, the engineers but you look at Formula One, Drive to Survive and the way Formula One do it, if you look at the social media accounts of the number one mechanics of various cars on the grid, they’ve all got huge followings, they’re all characters and they’re the kind of people that are followed by people who can get to their position. Not everyone can be a driver, but everyone can find a place in a team if they want to. I think the new points system, really the team it’s a massive thing and also changing up a bit developing, if you look at any other sport and think back to a few years ago it will be very different to where it is now. Because it changes and everyone is positive there’s no discussion you very quickly get used to it. Look at Formula One, how different it is in terms of qualifying, Q1, Q2 and Q3. Fastest lap time, fastest pitstop for the teams, they’re always doing something. Yes, it’s a big change, I get that, but might as well look at the positives.”

Warren

“Give me your thoughts on the lack of a WRC event in the British Isles, the lack of the rally in the United Kingdom? There’s a lot of fans that I’m connected to, Elfyn fans, you might remember the Elfyns Corner from a few years ago, who are really quite upset there’s no British round.”

Rich

“I think getting a Welsh round is probably in the short term not going to happen to be honest. However, I heard some very positive news out of Ireland a few days ago in the bid they put forward for a three-year programme in the WRC, 2025, ’26, ’27, in Southern Ireland, with rotating locations and is a very strong bid. I’m very hopeful that happens, and I think as British fans wanting the Welsh forests back of course we do. If we can’t have that, the next best thing is that. The atmosphere would be incredible, and the event would be fantastic, and this has come about from some fairly passionate rally people who we spoke to on a few rallies last year and floated the idea of a Northern Ireland event that didn’t manage to get going. It’s a different governing body. Motorsport UK have their own things to concentrate on, Ireland wants to concentrate on WRC, which is great for us, so really looking forward to that and if we can get that will become a massively popular event.”

Warren

“Have you spoke to Elfyn about this situation considering his success over recent years?”

Rich

“Yes, I still speak to Elfyn quite a bit, not necessarily in a lot of detail. I’m sure he’d love a rally in his hometown. I also think we have to take rallying to the people as well, tarmac rally, it shouldn’t be underestimated how many people you can reach, you know to go to the Welsh forests it’s quite an effort, there’s no decent roads to get there and even when you get there the roads get worse. It’s a fantastic experience, and environment, but to grow the sport we have to make it even more accessible”.

Warren

“Let’s have your thoughts for last season, two victories and a couple of podiums, fastest stage times as well for the drivers. Sum up your 2023 season, what do you see was good and bad.”

Rich

“There was a lot of pressure at the start of the year, and lot of expectation to win the championship. I think I was realistic from the start it would be difficult. We won as many rounds as Hyundai, so in that respect that we did pretty well. But it didn’t go as we hoped, but ultimately we were trying to win the championship with one driver, and then a young driver finding his feet as a junior driver, only two cars, didn’t have much opportunity to have strategy in that respect, so we had some difficult rallies, some reliability issues mid-year and Estonia was the real kicker and it becomes very difficult to keep the team motivated because you know that chance is gone. I think there were a lot of ups and downs last year, but certainly Sweden and Chile were highlights. It makes it even more special when you win, but I think looking forward to this year, the pressure has kind of changed, relieved a bit, we have good opportunities to upset people, Adrien is doing a full season, and we can take that opportunity to take some good results.”

Warren

“What’s the expectation for Adrien then from a management point of view?”

Rich

“Certainly, he’s got some points to prove, but it’s about tempering that enthusiasm and having that approach over the season, not just one round. We shall pick moments in rallies later in the year on ones we really want to push on. The first three are quite specialist, so the goal will be quite consistent throughout and then go from there.”

Warren

“I asked Rich about what happened with Ott and his co-driver Martin leaving the team and when he found out.”

Rich

“Relatively late in the season, we weren’t in a position to offer him another season. There were a lot of things to make it come together, and we were not able to do that at the time. Ott had an offer to go back to Hyundai, and he did not want to find himself without a seat. I fully appreciate that he came to us knowing fully the level we were at and what we could achieve. Unfortunately, that didn’t work out, and there’s no hard feelings or negativity towards his approach and what he wanted to do. We wish him all the best this year and he wants to win a world championship and he’s going somewhere where he feels that he can do that. He’s going to have a tough fight with teammates, but he’s certainly capable of winning.”

Warren

“Did Ott ultimately want to stay?”

Rich

“Maybe if we’d had a better middle season, he may have stayed but sometimes this is just the way it goes. We can’t always stay at that level we did the best we could that year and it unfortunately didn’t quite come off. We’ll try a different strategy this year and see what happens.”

Warren

“There’s some rumours from Autosprint (Italian motorsport publication) about changes with the cars for next year (2025).”

Rich

“It won’t happen next year.”

Warren

“What would that mean for M-Sport to go to a higher spec Rally2 type car?”

Rich

“Obviously I’ve read them all, it’s difficult to explain all the things that go into this kind of thing. From the outside it looks like a very easy decision to make, just go Rally2 and you’ll have lots of cars. Doesn’t mean that you’ll have any manufacturers, the sport won’t exist without manufacturers, and all of them have invested huge amounts of money in these cars (Rally1), that have a lifecycle of five years. To split it in two, you’ll upset quite a lot of people. Not saying we can’t make changes, but going back to Rally2 in one years’ time, well we don’t have any regulations, no time to develop the cars, I don’t see how you expect to do that in what is basically eleven months. It’s impossible. Not saying that there won’t be changes in 2026 or 2027, but to make big changes like that for 2025 is not realistic. Due diligence must be done, we need to get the resource and understanding for current OEM’s and future OEM’s. If your guaranteed you’re going to bring two more manufacturers in with these changes, that’s a different situation. If it just means that we stay at three or maybe even, go down if one didn’t want to do that it would make it worse. We’ve got to be fast, do all the research quickly to know which direction we’re going, but I think 2025 is maybe too early.”

Warren

“Of course, need to talk about Craig, your 2022 driver. It was a big shock for the sport. How did the team react at the time to all of that?”

Rich

“It was a big shock to everyone, I’m sure that everyone remembers where they were when they heard the news. It’s something no-one expected that would happen and still something you don’t necessarily believe or think, we still expect to get a WhatsApp from Craig at some point like it always used to be, but that’s never going to be the case. I think it was a very unfortunate set of circumstances, it just goes to show how cruel and hard the sport can be at times. All I can do is look back on good memories with Craig, I’ve known him for a very long time when he first came to M-Sport to drive the Fiesta ST when I first met him. I’ve known him effectively from the start of his rally career and we were good friends, we had a hard time in 2022 when things didn’t go as planned or hoped for him. I think it’s so sad, he was just finding his feet again at Hyundai, he would have been challenging for the championship again and we’ll never get to see that. For me it’s all about the good memories, and it’s a lot for the team, he was a proper rally fan, just one of the lads and a great guy to work with, but it’s really sad for everyone around him but I’ll always remember him for the positives.

Warren

“Thinking about the safety in pre-event tests, have there been any changes that you’ve made during tests, looking at the roads you’re using?”

Rich

“If you tried to take away everything dangerous in a stage, you wouldn’t have a stage. The FIA have done a lot of research into what happened, and there is a huge manual for test organisers, but unfortunately a certain set of circumstances comes around that you cannot plan for and all we have to do is keep constantly developing and doing the best we can to make it as safe. These cars are incredibly safe. I think all the stakeholders are doing the best that they can to make sure we’re as safe as possible.

Warren

“Finally, what led to picking your drivers for this season and when did they sign?”

Rich

“The plan was for Adrien was always to come back to Rally1, after a difficult 2022. We gave him an opportunity to show what he can do, he became a completely different driver last year and winning the British championship really helped as well, so it was a natural decision to put him into the car. Mid-season we were discussing this idea. Gregoire was a bit of a later decision, we were speaking with a lot of different drivers, and a lot of different options but we were looking for the best package for the team going forward, but it was clear from the beginning was to develop young drivers. Gregoire fitted very well into this set of criteria. We don’t expect results from the start, but we just want to see progression over the course of the year. As I said earlier, Adrien can pick and choose from events to try and score on. Gregoire is more of a case of slowing going forward and seeing what’s possible. No real pressure on the guys, just go out there and show what they can do.

 

Finally, a big thank you to Rich for his time and  also to Emily for assisting me.

 

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Formula E Season 10 Round 1 Mexico City E-Prix: Wehrlein Takes A Commanding Win after Securing Pole

Pascal Wehrlein secured the victory after starting on pole position for the first round of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship to kickstart his championship challenge earlier on.

The electric series, in its tenth year got off to an explosive start, with the opening taking place in Mexico, a venue that has been used since the series infancy. Before the action even started, there was already some pre-race drama as Sergio Sette Camara’s ERT was withdrawn from competition due to a technical issue. And the drama didn’t stop there. Stoffel Vandoorne, Mitch Evans and Nick Cassidy all received a one place grid penalty due to not following red flag procedures in FP1.

After the drama, Formula E went green for the first time this year. It was a clean start for everyone through the first few corners with Dennis making his way up the grid after his disaster in qualifying. Di Grassi was the first victim in Mexico. Due to a brake issue, he hit the barrier and stopped on track, he managed to limp back to the pits and retire from the race.

Lucas di Grassi, ABT CUPRA Formula E Team, M9Electro Image Credit: Formula E Media Bank

Da Costa and Mueller had an incident a few laps later which resulted in the Porsche driver retiring from the race as he ended up in the wall after an ambitious move on the Abt driver. The incident was investigated after the race  and Da Costa received a three place grid penalty for the next race. Everyone seemed to settle into the race, until more drama reared up, but this time from the steward’s room.  Race control stated that three drivers were under investigation: the Andretti pair of Jake Dennis and Norman Nato and more critically, race leader Pascal Wehrlein. There was no further investigation for Nato but Wehrlein and Dennis were investigated after the race but both also received no further investigation from the stewards.

Pascal Wehrlein, TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team, Porsche 99X Electric Gen3 Image Credit: Formula E Media Bank

The returning Envision Racing driver of Robin Frijns crashed at turn thirteen, just at the exit of the stadium arena. This resulted in a full course yellow and the safety car made it’s first appearance this season.  Frijns managed to walk away on his own accord. It then emerged that Frijns had an issue with his car before the race so this could have been a factor in his crash.  Before the race was declared green again, man of the drivers had attack mode remaining, including Buemi who was currently sitting in P2. Behind him, Guenther, Evans, Hughes, Dennis, Bird, Fenestraz, De Vries and Daruvala all had one attack mode remaining . The Season 7 champion Nyck De Vries had fallen down the pack at this point and was holding up Ticktum, Daruvala and Mueller, whilst current champion Dennis had a relatively quiet race.

The highlight in the latter stages was certainly the battle between Jean-Eric Vergne and Mitch Evans. They were having a fight of their own, as the Jaguar driver had to hold off the constant attacks from the two time world champion. It was first blood to Evans as he managed to pull a consistent gap of five tenths as energy conservation began to bite. Ticktum also struggled, falling back dramatically due to his overspending of energy earlier on in the race. Two additional laps were added to the end of the race due to the safety car earlier for the Frijns shunt. However, these did not stop Wehrlein as he held onto the lead and claimed victory in the Mexico City E-Prix for the second time. Envision Racing’s Sebastian Buemi finished P2, with championship contender Nick Cassidy taking the final podium. Maximilian Guenther finished P4 with Mitch Evans just holding off Jean-Eric Vergne for P5, Jake Hughes took P7 ahead of Stoffel Vandoorne in P8, current world champion Jake Dennis had to settle for P9 whilst Norman Nato rounded out the top ten.

Formula E returns in a few weeks with a double header in Diriyah!

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A Rea-Marc-Able Career

Two separate careers to be precise, and what careers they have been.

With a total of 14 World championships between them, Jonathan Rea 6x WSBK champion, and Marc Marquez 6x MotoGP World Champion, as well as both 125cc, and 250cc champions. Both riders have their upcoming birthdays next month in February, with Jonny turning 37, and Marc turning 31. Now in the twilight years of their respective careers, they both still feel they have a point to prove, and perhaps, also prove a few critics and naysayers wrong.

Jonathan Rea – Picture courtesy of Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK

The end of the 2023 season saw an emotional Rea walk away from the Kawasaki Racing Team, an incredibly long partnership that saw him dominate many seasons and claim 6x World titles, becoming arguably their best WSBK rider. The struggles of the Kawasaki team over the past few seasons were well documented and a frustrated Rea could do no more than look on in envy at the sheer flawless nature of Alvaro Bautista’s wins on the Aruba.it Racing Ducati, which saw the Spaniard claim back-to-back championships.

Prior to the Ducati dominance in both WSBK and MotoGP,  2021 was the year of Yamaha, with both Toprak Razgatlioglu on the R1, and Fabio Quartararo on the M1 claiming their respective world championship crowns. In WSBK that year Toprak was a joy to watch, pushing the R1 to its absolute limits. Rea however, was once again left frustrated with the performance of the Kawasaki, only managing to finish runner up.

There was a time when Marc Marquez was considered unstoppable on the Repsol Honda RC213V, dominating his rivals and racking up incredible statistics in the process. His 2019 winning season and 6th overall in the premier class, was testament to the absolute insane level of skill he possessed at that time. He won 12 races and finished on the podium in 18 out of 19 rounds, amassing an eye watering 420 points, which was also a points record at that time. Not to mention beating riders like Valentino Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo, and Andrea Dovizioso in the process.

Sadly, subsequent seasons have seen Marc suffer virtually career ending injuries, with many speculating that he’d never return. The fact that he did return, albeit on an under-performing Honda, speaks volumes about his mental resilience and sheer unquenchable desire to continue riding and return to winning ways.

2023 was not a happy season for Marc and saw him crash a total of 29 times, the most out of any rider across all the classes in MotoGP, according to the MotoGP falls report, published by Dorna media officer, Frine Velilla. That was a figure he himself had not got close to since the season of 2017, where he crashed 27 times.  Similar to Jonathan Rea, a disconsolate Marc could do no more then look on as Francesco Bagnaia, rode his Ducati to back-to-back championships.

Marc Marquez – Picture courtesy of Honda Racing Racing Global

As the curtain closed on the 2023 season, both Rea and Marc walked away from their respective teams, buying their way out of lucrative contracts in the process. Rea secured a ride with the Pata Prometeon Yamaha WSBK Team onboard the R1, while Marc, will be joining his brother Alex in the Gresini Racing Team onboard the Ducati.

As race fans eagerly anticipate the start of the 2024 season, the fact that these two legends of motorcycle racing are still racing, is an absolute bonus to the sport, as well as a credit to the resilience of each of their own characters and the determination to succeed, continuing to push onwards for the next taste of race winning glory.

 

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Autosport International 2024 – Interview with Adrien Fourmaux

Adrien Fourmaux is the reigning British Rally Champion having won the championship as part of a national and international campaign throughout the 2023 season for the M-Sport team. I spent some time with the rising French star on Friday during the second day of this weekend’s Autosport International Show.

I started by asking him about 2023 and his campaign with Alex Coria who have been working together for a number of years now and what they learned from this.

Adrien

“We have been competing in sixteen rallies, in UK, Belgian, France, Mexico as well. For sure the British championship helped us unlock the car also because we were doing some testing before, we were not using it on the rally, but some days of development which we were bringing to the WRC2 championship, it’s different, it was a longer season. We were working on the rollbar, new engine package. All these things were planned because were using these in the tests. The British championship we were fighting for a title, it’s always good to fight for a title, the management also to win. We had to win every event to win, as there were some events which were at the same time as the WRC2 events. It was a big challenge for us and we had no chance for error for that, it was important, we have done some milage for experience, it was really good.”

Warren

“How do you think that this will help you this year?

Adrien

“Well, I feel much more confidant with my drive, etc, what I do and my habits, so actually it tells me the WRC2, and British Rally championships helped me get more prepared to go back into the Rally1.”

Warren

“How happy are you to be back in the top class”?

Adrien

“That was the main goal last year, to get back in the Rally1. Only one year chance to get back in the Rally1, so my goal was to prove myself to the other teams, I was able to come back. This is what we did, so I’m really pleased and happy to get another opportunity with M-Sport.”

Warren

“They are a team that like to support young drivers like we’ve seen in the past, such as Elfyn and Ott.”

Adrien

“Yes, I’m still a young driver compared with the championship. We know the team bring a lot of young drivers, nearly everyone except Seb and Kalle. My goal this year is to show what I have been able to do in 2023 and 2024, another level of car, a faster car so with all steps the Rally1 is demanding so there are even more things that have to be done on the road section, we have to regen the battery, have to clean the stuff for the hybrid, it’s all those things that make the job bigger that people don’t realise. You are at the highest level, so you have not much for error, if you want success, so yes, it’s a big deal but I’m looking forward.”

Warren

“You took five victories in the British Championship last year, what was your favourite rally of the year?”

Adrien

“Nine victories last year, and I enjoy every rally as they are different. For sure Monte Carlo last year, I was struggling with the performance of the car and myself, so not so good, then when we went to Portugal and Greece, leading the rallies, wins on the national rally for sure always special even if it’s not the best rally of the championship.”

Warren

“What made you want to compete in rally?”

Adrien

“Just driving, I just enjoy to drive, this is my main goal. For the performance it’s just to build up after rallies to get at least one podium, maybe more. We know exactly where we are now it will be interesting.”

Warren

“Did you have a rally hero which you looked up to?”

Adrien

“Both the Seb’s are my rally hero’s, they are my only ones I would say.”

Warren

“If you could drive any rally car from the past, what would you pick out?”

Adrien

“The 2017 car (a car that he drove). It was really nice to drive. But it you take really old school, Group B, one car in Group B would be the Peugeot, because I’m French.”

Warren

“Final question then, which event are you most looking forward to this year?”

Adrien

“Well, Monte Carlo for sure, one of my favourite ones, Kenya is special also, Sweden also, last time I drove in snow was 2022, so really looking forward to that one. All events I like really, I especially gravel events.”

 

We at the Pit Crew Online wish Adrien, Alex and the whole of the M-Sport team all the best for the 2024 season. Also big thanks to Emily at M-Sport for the time provided to me to speak to Adrien.

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Formula E Driver Changes, Calendar and What to Watch For during Season 10

After several months since the conclusion of FIA Formula E Season 9, we are back with more electric racing! Well…later this week, we are. The FIA Formula E  championship returns this Friday for it’s tenth season. Round 1 will kick off in Mexico City, a staple of the electric series since it’s second season. Since we last went green, there have been quite a lot of changes, primarily in the driver market.

Drivers and Teams for Season 10:

Envision Racing:

Drivers: Sebastian Buemi and Robin Frijns

Powertrain: Jaguar I-Type 6

Season 9 Teams Championship Position:  1st Place (Champions)

There is a shake up at the current teams champion with Nick Cassidy departing for Jaguar. Robin Frijns rejoins Envision after a year of absence, eager to make the Jaguar powertrain which has been so dominant in the last few years a success of his own.

Jaguar TCS Racing:

Drivers: Mitch Evans and Nick Cassidy

Powertrain: Jaguar I-Type 6

Season 9 Teams Championship Position: 2nd Place

Jaguar has arguably the most anticipated pairing going into the tenth season of Formula E.  The New Zealand duo of Mitch Evans and Nick Cassidy, both in the title hunt and collecting race wins throughout the last few seasons, it will be all to play for this season.

Nick Cassidy, Jaguar TCS Racing, Jaguar I-TYPE 6
Image Credit: Simon Galloway

Andretti Formula E:

Drivers: Jake Dennis and Norman Nato

Powertrain: Porsche 99X Electric Gen3

Season 9 Teams Championship Position: 3rd Place

The current world champion will have a new livery design, helmet design, a new number and a new teammate. The Andretti duo will support a white livery as Nato joins the American team of the departing Andre Lotterer after a decent season last year where saw him scoop a podium.

Tag Heuer Porsche Formula E Team:

Drivers: Pascal Wehrlein and Antonio Felix Da Costa

Powertrain: Porsche 99X Electric Gen3

Season 9 Teams Championship Position: 4th Place

One of three unchanged driver pairings from last season, Wehrlein and Da Costa both racked up race wins throughout their season 9 campaign and they will be wanting to aim to equal these stats or higher in season 10 as Porsche hopes to go from strength to strength.

DS Penske:

Drivers: Stoffel Vandorrne and Jean-Eric Vergne

Powertrain: DS E-TENSE FE2

Season 9 Teams Championship Position: 5th Place

The two former World Champions remain at DS Penske for a second season as they aim to go up the standings, it was a very subdued season for them last season with double champion Vergne the only bright light with a handful of podium appearances, but this could change.

Maserati MSG Racing:

Drivers: Maximilian Guenther and Jehan Daruvala

Powertrain: Maserati Tipo Folgore

Season 9 Team Championship Position: 6th

At the Trident team, Guenther remains at the team after picking up a victory in 2023, he has proven to be a consistent driver throughout his time in the series. He is partnered by the only rookie in this season as Jehan Daruvala takes the slot. Replacing veteran Edo Mortara, Daruvala raced in Formula 2 last season.

Nissan Formula E Team:

Drivers: Sacha Fenestraz and Oliver Rowland

Powertrain: Nissan e-4ORCE 04

Season 9 Teams Championship Position:  7th

Nissan will be hoping to reignite some of the old magic, they retain 2023 rookie Sacha Fenestraz which was excellent last year, and the departing Norman Nato is replaced by familar face Oliver Rowland, who had some success with the manufacturer a few seasons ago.

NEOM McLaren Formula E Team:

Drivers: Sam Bird and Jake Hughes

Powertrain: Nissan e-4ORCE 04

Season 9 Teams Championship Position:  8th Place

The Papaya team retain Jake Hughes for 2024, who had a stellar season. Rene Rast departs, leaving Sam Bird, arguably one of the most talented and experienced drivers at the helm.

ERT Racing:

Drivers: Dan Ticktum and Sergio Sette Camara

Powertrain: ERT X24

Season 9 Teams Championship Position:  9th Place

The team formally known as NIO 333 have had a branding change to ERT. The lineup of Ticktum and Sette Camara remains unchanged and they will be eager to go up the standings and pick up some points.

Mahindra Racing:

Drivers: Nyck De Vries and Eduardo Mortara

Powertrain: Mahindra M9Electro

Season 9 Teams Championship Position:  10th Place

Mahindra, on the other hand, have completely revamped their line up. Nyck De Vrie,s the former world champion rejoins the Indian outfit after his stint at Alpha Tauri in Formula 1 and studying at Harvard. He will be joined by Eduardo Mortara, a stalwart of the series.

Nyck de Vries, Mahindra Racing, Mahindra M9Electro
Image Credit: Simon Galloway

Abt Cupra Formula E Team:

Drivers: Lucas Di Grassi and Nico Muller

Powertrain: Mahindra M9 Electro

Season 9 Teams Championship Position: 11th Place

Abt Cupra retains Nico Muller while Lucas Di Grassi joins the team after departing Mahindra. The German team will be wanting to put an end to its podium draught after ending Season 9 with zero podiums, the first in the team’s history while competing in Formula E.

Calendar for Season 10:

There are some major changes from Season 9 in terms of the Calendar, the Jakarta ePrix is scrapped, and the inaugeral India ePrix has also been cancelled, the iconic Rome ePrix has been replaced by a race in Misano.

Round Number Race Date Previous Winner
1 Mexico City ePrix 13th January 2024 Jake Dennis
2 Diryah ePrix 26th January 2024 Pascal Wehrlein
3 Diryah ePrix 27th January 2024 Pascal Wehrlein
4 Sao Paulo ePrix 16th March 2024 Mitch Evans
5 Tokyo ePrix 30th March 2024 Debut Event in Season 10
6 Misano ePrix 13th April 2024 Debut Event in Season 10
7 Misano ePrix 14th April 2024 Debut Event in Season 10
8 Monaco ePrix 27th April 2024 Nick Cassidy
9 Berlin ePrix 11th May 2024 Mitch Evans
10 Berlin ePrix 12th May 2024 Nick Cassidy
11 Shanghai ePrix 25th May 2024 Debut Event in Season 10
12 Shanghai ePrix 26th May 2024 Debut Event in Season 10
13 Portland ePrix 29th June 2024 Nick Cassidy
14 Portland ePrix* 30th June 2024 Nick Cassidy
15 London ePrix 20th July 2024 Mitch Evans
16 London ePrix 21st July 2024 Nick Cassidy

What to look out for in 2024 for Formula E:

As the number of Formula E seasons enters the double digits (they grow up so fast!) here are some highlights which will be on the radar of many people throughout the entire season:

The Battle For The Top Spot at Jaguar:

As mentioned, Jaguar TCS Racing will have a duo of Kiwi drivers this season: Mitch Evans and Nick Cassidy. Although Cassidy is the new guy on the block, he shone brightly last year and came close to claming the championship title. Their inter team battle will be one to watch throughout the entire season as Evans will want to hold onto top dog status while Cassidy will want to prove himself in his new team.

Champion Comeback:

With Jake Dennis signing a multi year contract with  Andretti and the Season 7 champion Nyck De Vries returning to Formula E, there will be 7 champions on the grid who will want to reclaim the title crown of electric motorsport with Dennis certain to want to equal Vergne’s back to back title wins.

Nyck de Vries, Mahindra Racing and Jake Dennis, Andretti Global
Image Credit: Simon Galloway

New Venue Debuts:

With season 10 of Formula E, there will be 3 new venues: Tokyo, Misano and Shanghai. With only the Tokyo ePrix circuit layout being unveiled (as of right now), it will be fascinating to see how each of these new venues play into the championship.

What do you think about Formula E Season 10? Do you have any predictions ahead of the Mexico City ePrix?

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