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Opinion: Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc’s partnership at Scudaria Ferrari is the most emotional one in Formula 1’s History

IMPORTANT: This article contains important regarding the passing of several people. Continue at your own convenience.

1st February 2024-Rumours emerged of the 7 time world champion leaving the UK based Mercedes team to join the most famous team in the world: Scudaria Ferrari. Rumours like this have circulated for years. However, this one felt different: accredited journalists and news outlets started reporting it. This was happening. 


I remember hearing about it and being shell shocked, surprised at the move. Talking to people online, everyone was denying it. When it was announced that evening, everyone was so surprised. The most successful driver in F1 history across multiple eras of the sport, the most recognisable driver was leaving the Silver Arrows to join the prancing horse. 

While I have been watching the media covorage of Hamilton’s first few days at Maranello, I became overthrown with emotion and which I could not understand why. As I thought about it more and more, I realised how emotional this partnership and lineup genuinely is.

Carlos Sainz’s Seat Removal


Of course, this meant that 3 into 2 didn’t go so sadly Carlos Sainz had to depart the legendary team to join Williams Racing. I don’t think Williams Racing, with all due respect, was the highest team on Sainz’ radar given the obviously vacant seat left by Hamilton at Mercedes or even the Red Bull seat of Sergio Perez which had a contract expiration at the end of 2024. Sadly, those pieces fell short for Sainz but there is one major positive to leave behind for Sainz: he did nothing wrong. Sometimes in life, things don’t work out for one reason or another. I don’t think Sainz has any bad blood at all with Hamilton, Leclerc, Vasseur or Ferrari. In fact, apart from Hamilton, Verstappen and Alonso, Sainz never would have left that seat. He left his mark at the team and I would never rule out a move back to Ferrari.

Back to Hamilton now and up until now, I didn’t think it was real. It felt like a F1 24 Career mode move with Hamilton to Ferrari, Leclerc to Aston Martin and Dino Beganovic to Mercedes.  Seeing the images of Hamilton in Italy, dressing head to toe in very fancy clothes (which I am jealous of) and impressively speaking Italian so naturally it shows that he wants to make this move work. By work, I of course mean Hamilton getting that 8th Drivers Championship title with Ferrari which I think it will happen. 

A Formula 1 Butterfly Effect?

Personally, I am strong believer of “Everything happens for a reason” and when I cast my mind back to 2021 and to Abu Dhabi, I remember Lewis Hamilton and Anthony Hamilton (Lewis’ father) going up to Max Verstappen and Jos Verstappen (Max’s father) to shake their hands. That showed me what kind of person Hamilton is like. Despite all of his effort, and fighting so much, he lost by so little. The reason that event links up to “Everything happens for a reason” is if Hamilton won that title in 2021, he may have retired and never get to live out racing in red and for Ferrari. Of course, these are all what ifs and sure, Hamilton would more than likely before an 8th title over racing for Ferrari; but it feels like something good will come of this. 

Lewis Hamilton meeting staff at Scudaria Ferrari in Maranello. Image Credit: Scudaria Ferrari’s Media Centre

Charles Leclerc’s Emotional Barriers to and in F1

I want to reflect on Charles Leclerc, Hamilton’s teammate for 2025 and beyond. Since I started watching Formula 1, stories of how drivers either came from nothing and built their way up or drivers who suffered grief and heartbreak and always attached and stayed with me. Charles’ story of losing his god father Jules Bianchi after a horrific crash in 2014 is one which still looms over not only Formula 1 but Leclerc as Bianchi told Ferrari to give his godson a chance. That is not the only tragedy Charles’ has faced in his life, however. Charles’ father, Herve Leclerc, passed away from an illness. Before his father passed, Leclerc told his father that he signed the contract to race in F1 which, at the time, was not true. Sadly, Charles told his father this as he knew he would not survive to see it come to reality. However, this was not the final grief Charles or the entire Formula 1 family would have suffered as sadly, in 2019, Antoine Hubert lost his life in a crash in Spa during a Formula 2 Sprint Race. Hubert passed away on the same day of the accident and Leclerc went on to take his debut win the following day.

An emotional era for the Scudaria

I am sure you are wondering “Kieran, what does 2021 and Charles’ personal griefs have to do with Hamilton going to Ferrari?” Well, I am glad you asked! To circle back to the main point of this article, Formula 1 has not been easy for Leclerc or Hamilton. Performances, cars, emotional factors or just bad luck in general. While yes, this happens in general in F1, the loss of anyone, especially a relative or parent is something which can tug at your heartstrings so much. While Hamilton has both of his parents’ alive, he has had his fair share of emotional abuse while not directly at grief but in relation to racial comments which started since he was a young boy first getting into kart racing. While I, a white male, cannot begin to understand the emotional toll this could take on anyone, I do understand Charles’ pain of losing a relative. The emotional impact this can have on someone so close to you not knowing you’ve partnered with one of the best drivers ever seen in Formula 1 history truly makes this an emotional but inspirational era at the Maranello based team.

I cannot help but feel that this was written in the stars. A young, thriving driver who has been impacted by life’s punishment for love and a vetern of the sport who has had been to hell and back due to outside forces is one partnership which is willing to prove the critics wrong. 

As Enzo Ferrari once said: “If you can dream it, you can do it.”

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All Image Credit: Scudaria Ferrari’s Media Centre

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Formula E Season 11 Round 2: Rowland Takes Victory in Mexico City After Sensational Safety Car Restart

The Nissan driver of Oliver Rowland managed an unlikely victory at Mexico City for Round 2 in Formula E Season 11. How did it happen? Lets look into it!

The Race:

We went racing in Mexico City with Pascal Wehrlein holding the start from his teammate Antonio Felix Da Costa. Vergne managed to hold P3 ahead of Oliver Rowland. Ticktum had an unfortunate spin after being tagged by the Maserati of Jake Hughes, falling down the grid and his race ultimately coming to an end.

Rowland was able to make his way up to P3 and then set his sights on P2. Bird, Mortara and De Vries had a little fight going into turns 4 and 5 with Bird ultimately getting a 5 second time penalty for this as Mortara had to pit. Mueller meanwhile was taking advantage of his attack mode usage, making moves and managing to catch up to his teammate and join in on the battle with Vergne. The 2 Andretti’s of Mueller and Dennis played the team game with Mueller holding the pack back so Dennis could take his attack mode.

An insane fight broke out between the Porsches, Andrettis and Rowland. After the scrap, Wehrlein led from Rowland, Dennis and Vergne with Dennis then attempting to make a move on Werhlein after passing Rowland. Da Costa then set his sight on the lead of the race with him managing to get the place before a yellow flag was brought out. 

The yellow flags were for the Cupra Kiro of David Beckmann who got hit by Zane Maloney as both of them attempted to make the corner leading into the stadium. Due to this, a safety car was brought out with many drivers having active attack mode, including Rowland. 

MEXICO CITY, MEXICO – JANUARY 11: Oliver Rowland of Great Britain driving the Nissan Formula E Team Nissan e-4ORCE 05 leads Nico Muller of Switzerland driving the Andretti Formula E Porsche 99X Electric Gen3 during the Mexico City E-Prix, Round 2 of the 2025 FIA Formula E World Championship at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on January 11, 2025 in Mexico City, Mexico. (Photo by Simon Galloway/LAT Images for Formula E)

We went green after the safety car on lap 31 with Rowland having active attack boost and putting his foot down to overtake Dennis into turn 1, Wehrlein into turn 5 and Da Costa at turn 12! However, another safety car was brought out for Mitch Evans who ended up colliding with the Andretti of Nico Mueller.

Once the safety car came in again, there were no added laps and Rowland managed to hold off the 2 Porsche cars to win the Mexico City E-Prix! Da Costa took home the silver trophy and the lead in the drivers championship while Wehrlein took home the bronze. Jake Dennis took home P4 and the fastest lap, DS Penske finished P5 and P6 with Vergne leading Guenther, Vandoorne finished P7, De Vries P8, Mueller P9 and Jake Hughes P10. Taylor Barnard crossed the line in P10 but was given a 5 second time penalty due to leaving the track and gaining an advantage. 

Prediction Review:

Pole Position: Oliver Rowland

This prediction was close-ish as Rowland got through to the semi finals but ultimately got beaten by the 2 Porsche cars and Vergne. 

Winner: Antonio Felix Da Costa

This prediction was….quite close  until Rowland decided to make monumental moves after the first safety car restart.

Biggest Shock: McLaren

The papaya based team certainly did not have a good time this race compared to Sao Paulo.

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Formula E Season 11 Round 2: Mexico City E-Prix Preview and Predictions

A new year, a new round of Formula E in Mexico City! The previous 2 rounds held at the Autodromo Hermandas has crowned the next Formula E champion of that season. Will that happen again? Who knows but what we do know from Sao Paulo is that every single round in Season 11 will be a must watch!

Schedule:

FP1: 5:00pm-5:40pm Mexico City Time

FP2: 7:30am-8:10am Mexico City Time

Qualifying: 9:30am-11:10am Mexico City Time

Countdown to Formula E Season 11 Round 2 Race

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DAYS
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HOURS
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MINUTES
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SECONDS

Circuit Information: 

Formula E Season 11 Mexico City Track Map. Image Source: Formula E Media

This 2.628km circuit has an altered layout in comparison to Formula 1. The run down to turn 1 sees a sharp turn towards turn 2 and turn 3 which is a sharp left. Leading to a narrow section of turn 4,5,6,7 and 8 before leading to a chicane of turn 9, 10 and 11. Turn 12 then shows the stadium section which allows drivers into turn 13,14,15,16,17, and 18. Attack Zone is at turn 15 which will be very important this year due to the all wheel drive which will allow drivers a MASSIVE advantage out of the stadium, into turn 19 and out to the start/finish straight.

Predictions:

Pole position:

Oliver Rowland

The Nissan British driver got very unlucky in Sao Paulo with a software issue causing a drive through penalty for an over use of power. Last race in Sao Paulo, Rowland was beat by Wehrlein by just over 1 tenth! So it seems to be clear that the Nissan and Porsche power trains are strong at the hand of Wehrlein and Rowland.

Race Winner:

Antonio Felix Da Costa

As I mentioned already, the Porsche powertrain seems to be very strong in the hands of Wehrlein. However, that doesn’t mean Da Costa and Nato should be ruled out. With Wehrlein having suffered a big crash in Sao Paulo which resulted the number 1 car being turned upside down, I don’t expect him to be at his peak of this year primarily due to that.

Antonio Felix da Costa, TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team, Porsche 99X Electric Gen3 Credit: Simon Galloway and Formula E Media Bank

Podium finishers:

1 Jaguar and 1 Kiro

I know what you might be thinking: Kieran, are you okay? Well, yes….I think. Anywho, I am expecting a Jaguar driver and a Cupra Kiro driver to complete the podium at the Mexican capital. I am not saying which driver as it could be any 4!

Other predictions:

Shock: Neom McLaren. With them finishing a massive 3rd and 4th finish in Sao Paulo, I am not expecting the British team to follow this up with a similar performance primarily due to the track and the amount of time between Round 1 and Round 2.

What predictions do you have for round 2 of Formula E Season 11? Let us know on our social channels or on my social channels linked below!

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Formula E Season 11 Season and Round One Predictions

The world of electric motorsport rejoice: Formula E is BACK this weekend and this time, for season 11! This season is set up to be an epic weekend with thrillers, new circuits and more! So why not do some season and round 1 predictions!

Season 11

World Champion-Oliver Rowland

Yes, you read that correctly. I think that Oliver Rowland will be the ABB FIA Formula E World Champion of Season 11. Ollie was on a very high season in Season 10, picking up victories across the season including winning the final round last year in London, his home E-Prix!

Ollie could very well have entered the season 10 finale close to the championship contenders of Pascal Wehrlein, Nick Cassidy and Mitch Evans had it not been for the one lap misconfiguration in Misano and missing the double header in Portland due to an illness.

While this will be a big challenge for Nissan and Ollie, considering they have shown that they have been able to push through and with Norman Nato returning to Nissan, Ollie will need a rear gunner if he is going to fight for the championship.

Teams Champion-Porsche

Not too much of a surprise given how well Porsche did in Season 10 and how well their driver lineup is. I think having the reigning world champion Pascal Wehrlein will certainly help their case too. Porsche were possibly the strongest team overall last season. Despite some challenges both from drivers and team strategy, considering they managed to get Wehrlein onto the champion row and with them being the only team with 2 different champions, this will give them the push they need.

 

MADRID, SPAIN – NOVEMBER 07: Pascal Wehrlein of Germany driving the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team Porsche 99X Electric Gen3 during day three of Formula E Pre-Season Testing at Circuito del Jarama on November 07, 2024 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Simon Galloway/LAT Images for Formula E)

Female representation at an E-Prix:

Over the past few months and even years, Formula E has been putting more of an emphasis on the female representation within motorsport, hosting an all-women’s test in Jarama during pre season testing and supporting FIA causes for such reason.
While I wish no driver to get ill or injured, sometimes accidents happen in our sport which are outside of our control. With a long calendar like this and new circuits and double headers such as the new Jeddah circuit for Formula E and the double header in Monaco, I think that if a driver falls ill or gets injured, a team will pop a female driver into the car to see what they are made of.


I also predict similar tests to be conducted across the season such as what happened in Jarama as many high profile figured in Formula E want to see more female encouragement. Speaking to selected media, including The Pit Crew Online, at the Red Bull F1 show run last month in Galway, David Coulthard stated that “I think it’s great that they had a test day for the women that are competing in various forms of motorsport. The real gauge of that isn’t a random test here and there. It’s when someone is given a full-time drive. And the goal of F1 Academy is to support women in motorsport.”


Different routes have been constructed by many series’ in order to try and guide women into motorsport with some succeeding and some failing. David Coulthard spoke about how F1 Academy will succeed where W-Series failed:
“Well, W Series failed because Formula One didn’t own it. I was involved in W Series, and it cost me several million pounds that I invested from my companies to help women in motorsport. And I sleep okay with that, because it has moved women in motorsport forward. Jamie Chadwick, racing in America. Alice Powell is part of heading up the Alpine Academy, helping Abby Pulling. Naomi Schiff is now a full-time professional broadcaster, out of the back of being in W Series. So, we’ve achieved the goal. And I did that because my younger sister raced. She never got the same chance that I did. Because I always regretted that she didn’t get the same support. And I wanted to be involved in something that makes sure that female talent is recognized and supported. F1 Academy is owned by Formula One. And the thing that we tried to do with W was get the teams to take teams. And it wasn’t allowed. F1 Academy is allowed to have teams. And that will, for the greater good, move that forward. And it’s obviously, it’s a great thing for women in motorsport.”


2 drivers mentioned there by David being Jamie Chadwick and Abbi Pulling have actually tested with Formula E teams being Jaguar TCS Racing and Nissan Formula E Team respectfully. Having this representation is incredible important. 

Round 1: Sao Paulo

Winner: Mitch Evans

After what happened in Season 10’s Sao Paulo E-Prix, the kiwi will be on a mission of revenge and vengeance. Losing the race to his former teammate, Mitch Evans will be putting 110% into this performance in order to right the wrongs from last year and to get that win around Brazil.

Biggest Team Improvement: Kiro Race Co.

Kiro (formally ERT) went through some huge changes over the breaks between seasons, with new investors arriving at the team. Considering where Cupra Kiro were last year, I think they will make huge strides in the opening round in Sao Paulo with a double points finish with Dan Ticktum and rookie teammate David Beckmann.

MADRID, SPAIN – NOVEMBER 08: Dan Ticktum of Great Britain and Kiro Race Co has a conversation with his teammates during day four of Formula E Pre-Season Testing at Circuito del Jarama on November 08, 2024 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Simon Galloway/LAT Images for Formula E)

What do you expect to happen in Formula E Season 11? Will we see Dan Ticktum get a podium? Can we see a rookie win a race? Let us know on our social media!

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MotoGP: Jorge Martin is the 2024 World Champion

It may have been the most boring race of the season, but #TheRematch has delivered an emotional, stressful and ultimately hugely enjoyable final weekend of the 2024 MotoGP season.

For the first time in MotoGP’s history, a satellite rider has won the championship. Jorge Martin only needed a 9th place finish today to seal the title but he took a comfortable podium to round out his season in style.

He started 4th on the grid, kept his nose clean at the start and spent the rest of the race in 3rd. Whilst there were battles further behind him, Martin had a lonely race and only needed to keep the bike upright to take the championship. He crossed the line in tears and quickly retreated to the celebration area where he appeared in his new Martinator leathers.

It was a difficult day for peerless Pecco Bagnaia. There was nothing more the Italian could have done this weekend – he took pole and a sprint win on Saturday before leading every single lap of the feature race today. Ultimately, it was mistakes earlier in the season that left him stuck with 2nd in the championship.

Despite the close title race, it was Marc Marquez who was Bagnaia’s closest rival today. He has had a very difficult weekend and has himself said that he was struggling with the track surface and challenges that the Barcelona circuit throws up. But he was able to stay close on the tail of his future team mate, and was typically within 1 second of Bagnaia for the entire race today.

Image Credit: MotoGP on X

Behind the podium finishers, there was a hot battle for “best of the race” in today’s race. Firstly, we had Alex Marquez and Aleix Espargaro battling hard for 4th place. It was Marquez who came out on top, rounding out a fantastic weekend of blistering form for him.

Just behind them was another battle between Brad Binder, Franco Morbidelli and Pedro Acosta. As Acosta dropped back towards the end of the race, Marco Bezzecchi was also drawn into the battle. After plenty of dicing and lots of on-track fun, this group finished the day with Binder in 6th, Enea Bastianini in 7th and Morbidelli in 8th. Bezzecchi and Acosta then rounded out the top 10, in 9th and 10th respectively.

It was a tricky day for Bastianini – he started the day in battle with Aleix Espargaro for 4th, but drifted back as the race progressed.
Espargaro is an incredibly close friend of Jorge Martin and he spent his last MotoGP race clearly acting as his ally out on track today. Firstly, he was fending off Bastianini and then Alex Marquez.

Our only non-finishing rider today was Joan Mir who ended the day in the same way he has most races this weekend – in the gravel. He will be eager to put 2024 behind him and start fresh when testing kicks off later this week.

TOP TEN

Image Credit: MotoGP on X

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

Image Credit: MotoGP on X

LOOKING AHEAD TO 2025

Believe it or not, the paddock is already making plans for the 2025 season – we will give Jorge Martin some time to celebrate his title but testing begins bright and early on Tuesday morning.

This will be our first time to see riders on their new machines. Martin will take his #1 plate to Aprilia, Marc Marquez will be on the factory Ducati and our new rookies, Ai Ogura, Fermin Aldeguer and Somkiat Chantra, will also be on their new premier class machines.

Crew On Two will have all the updates for you so stay tuned.

See you in 2025!

Feature Image Credit: MotoGP on X

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ABB FIA Formula E Season 11: Everything You Need to Know Before Season 11 Pre Season Testing Begins

Formula E returns next week for Pre Season Testing in Valencia so here is everything you need to know before the first session of Season 11 begins! 

Gen 3 Evo Specifications

The ABB FIA Formula E Gen3-Evo car is an evolution from the Gen-3 car, first being raced in Season 9. Many major evolution changes have taken place, presumably to be taken up for Gen-4 as well.

    • All Wheel Drive (AWD): One major change is the use of all wheel drive for these electric cars. This will be useable in qualifying, the duels and the race for active attack mode. This will supply more active overtakes and some tactical strategy. 
    • Faster acceleration: The Gen-3 Evo is estimated to be the fastest FIA single seater car in terms of acceleration, going from 0-60 in 1.82 seconds, 30% faster than the current Formula 1 car.
    • More Grip: The new specified Hancook tyres will supply the drivers will more grip and made from more recycled parts. This will increase to 10% compared to the 9% from Gen-3.
    • New body: The Gen-3 Evo will have a sleeker body in comparison to the Gen-3 car.

 

Visual Car Changes

As shown on the images above, the Gen3 Evo (left) has seen the majority of its bodywork similar to Gen3 (right). The most obvious changes are:

  • More bodywork on the front wing to stop the endplates detaching. 
  • Gen3 Evo has more of a sleek and smooth design in comparison to Gen3 to improve aerodynamics.
  • The mirrors are bigger to allow more of a viewpoint for the drivers.

Season 11 Calendar

The calendar for ABB FIA Formula E Season 11 has some quite big changes, some classics remain, others are gone, venues have been changed and others have been added. Lets have a look!

 

Round Number E-Prix Date Previous Race Winner
Round 0 Pre Season testing at Valencia 4th-7th November N/A
Round 1 Sao Paulo E-Prix 6th December 2024 Sam Bird
Round 2 Mexico City E-Prix 11th January 2025 Pascal Wehrlein
Round 3 Jeddah E-Prix 14th February 2025 N/A
Round 4 Jeddah E-Prix 15th February 2025 N/A
Round 5 Miami E-Prix 12th April 2025 N/A
Round 6 Monaco E-Prix 3rd May 2025 Mitch Evans
Round 7 Monaco E-Prix 4th May 2025 Mitch Evans
Round 8 Tokyo E-Prix 17th May 2025 Maximilian Guenther
Round 9 Tokyo E-Prix 18th May 2025 Maximilian Guenther
Round 10 Shanghai E-Prix 31st May 2025 Mitch Evans
Round 11 Shanghai E-Prix 1st June 2025 Mitch Evans
Round 12 Jakarta E-Prix 21st June 2025 Maximilian Guenther
Round 13 Berlin E-Prix 12th July 2025 Antonio Felix Da Costa
Round 14 Berlin E-Prix 13th July 2025 Antonio Felix Da Costa
Round 15 London E-Prix 26th July 2025 Oliver Rowland
Round 16 London E-Prix 27th July 2025 Oliver Rowland

Overall, the calendar is generally similar to Season 10, however there are some pretty major changes:

  • The first round will happen last THIS year, in comparison to starting in Mexico City in January in previous years. 
  • There are a few more double headers, including the iconic Monaco E-Prix. 
  • Diriyah has been removed with the Jeddah Cornic circuit replacing the street track. It is understood that it will be a shorter version for Formula E in comparison to the layout Formula 1 and Formula 2 races at.
  • There is a “TBC” slot for round 5, rumoured to be related to an E-Prix in Thailand.
  • We are NOT returning to Portland, a first for this era for gen-3 and instead we head to Miami. 
  • The Berlin E-Prix double header has been moved to July but there will still be a clash with the World Endurance Championship. 

Driver Lineup for Season 11

Formula E is no stranger to crazy driver silly seasons, as Season 10 saw champions returning, drivers retained and other drivers let go. However, with Season 11, there are some changes which I did not expect to see. Lets see who is remaining, shall we?

Tag Heuer Porsche Formula E Team: Pascal Wehrlein and Antonio Felix Da Costa.

This one is a half-surprise, half-not a surprise. Throughout the start of Season 10, Season 7 champion Da Costa really struggled to be up to pace with teammate eventual champion Wehrlein. However, he pulled off what can only be described as a comeback of the greats as he managed 4 wins over 3 races in the latter half of the season. This managed to save his seat at the German team despite rumours of a certain Abt Cupra driver being poised to hop in. That plan has, for now, been placed on the backburner. 

Season 10 champion Pascal Wehrlein staying at Porsche is no surprise, however, due to his sheer determination to snatch the title from the 2 Kiwi’s of Cassidy and Evans going into the double header in London. The pairing is a strong one in which Porsche will hope to repeat their success from last year.

Jaguar TCS Racing: Nick Cassidy and Mitch Evans

This is not a big shock as both Cassidy and Evans were on par for the vast majority of the season. Luck had its advantages and disadvantages for both drivers throughout the entire season as well as some driver errors, most noteably the error Cassidy made on the penultimate lap in Portland which cost him the championship and Evans wasn’t able to capitalise as much as he potentially should have when Cassidy failed to reach the top step or even the podium. Still, Jaguar are using a tried and tested method of stability within their team which will hopefully pay dividends.

Envision Racing: Sebastian Buemi and Robin Frijns.

This driver lineup is…a bit of a shock. Buemi and Frijns both had decent seasons with podiums for both drivers but due to the clashes with the World Endurance Championship (WEC), changes were expected from the Jaguar customer team. Nevertheless, a strong lineup with a lot of experience but with many younger drivers joining this grid and others in seperate series’ like Paul Aron who raced for Envision last year in Berlin in Formula 2 and even Victor Martins, this duo could be under pressure to deliver.

Mahindra Racing: Nyck De Vries and Edoardo Mortara.

This duo was not too much of a surprise either. De Vries struggled after his stint in Formula One with Alpha Tauri which wasn’t exactly what everyone wanted to see. Nyck did the one thing he could do: get back up! He got a deal to return to Formula E with Mahindra and he found his grove at the end of the season, with a sensational P4 finish in Shanghai! Him and Mortara could be the future of Mahindra. both have the experience to do well.

DS Penske: Jean-Eric Vergne and Maximilian Guenther: 

While one stays at DS-Penske, one shall leave. The one replacing the Season 8 champion is the driver who did an insane job in the CUSTOMER team of Maserati MSG Racing: Maximilian Guenther! Yes, Guenther gets the promotion to the Stallantes main team for the GEN3-Evo debut! Vergne will remain at the gold and black coloured schemed American manufacturer team but he will be hoping new boy Guenther doesn’t overthrow him.

Neom McLaren Formula E Team: Sam Bird and Taylor Barnard. 

McLaren will enter Season 11 as a race winner and from the minute the lights go out in Sao Paulo, the pressure will be on for Sam Bird to replicate his win in the Brazilian capital. Beside him will be a Briton, but it won’t be Jake Hughes. Instead will be Sam Bird’s replacement when he had to miss Monaco and Berlin last year: Taylor Barnard. After a debut season in Formula 2 with a debut win at Monaco in the sprint race, McLaren saw enough in the 19 year old to send him up and allow Jake Hughes to set sail. 

Maserati MSG Racing: Jake Hughes and Stoffel Vandoorne:

 The Monaco based team will have an entirely new lineup in Jake Hughes and Stoffel Vandoorne. It looked like both drivers wanted a fresh chapter and a new challenge with them leaving their former teams, both are proven winners and it will be interesting to see if they can finally gift Maserati some success.

Andretti Formula E: Jake Dennis and Nico Mueller:

When 1 stays, 1 goes. After 1 season at Andretti, Norman Nato departs for another team (more on that soon) but in his place is the underdog of Season 10; Nico Mueller. Nico comprehensively beat his experienced teammate of Lucas Di Grassi at Abt Cupra and earned a promotion up to the customer team of Porsche. As the former world champion of Jake Dennis remains at Andretti, Season 11 could be a big test for both drivers.

Nissan Formula E Team: Norman Nato and Oliver Rowland: 

As previously revealed, Norman Nato moved to another team, well that team is the same team that let him go after Season 9. Nato returns and replaces Sacha Fenestraz after the Argentinian driver underdelivered in his 2nd season in Formula E in comparison to his teammate who won many races and podiums. Oliver and Norman will both be wanting to make a mark on each other in Gen3 EVO. 

Lola Yamaha Abt: Lucas Di Grassi and Zane Maloney:

While not unexpected, Di Grassi remains at Abt to help them transition into Lola Yamaha Abt. Besides Di Grassi is a driver who set the 2024 season of Formula 2 alight at the beginning of the new regulations: Zane Maloney. The Boy from Barbados joins the team as a rookie after doing sessions with Andretti. This will be an important season for both Lola and Maloney as they both embark on a new motorsport journey.

Kiro Race Co: TBC and TBC

Don’t worry, TBC aren’t the 2 new driver names but ERT has transitioned into Kiro Race Co. after new investors were brought in. In another massive bombshell, the team is no longer and manufacturer as they now run older Porsche powertrains which have been modified for Gen 3 Evo. Both drivers have not been confirmed yet but rumours suggest Dan Ticktum will remain at the team while the pre season testing at Valencia will be seen as an audition for David Beckmann.  

Season 11 Liveries

As with a new season, cars have been launched! While not every team has announced their Season 11 liveries, here are some which have been announced! Jaguar’s Livery is for pre season testing only.

Nissan Formula E Livery Season 11. Image credit: Nissan Newsroom
Mahindra Racing’s Season 11 Car: M11 Electro. Image Credit: Mahindra Racing’s X account
DS Penske’s new Season 11 livery. Image Credit: Formula E News Article announcing this livery.
Display of the Porsche 99X Electric. Image Credit: Porsche Press Release
Andretti Formula E Season 11 Livery. Image Credit: Andretti’s Press Release
Jaguar TCS Racing’s pre season testing livery. Image Credit: Jaguar TCS Racing’s X account.
Kiro Race Co Season 11 Livery. Image Credit: Formula E’s Gallery Article
 
 
 

Women’s Pre Season Test Details

Announced a few weeks ago, Formula E will be running a fully woman’s test in Valencia. This is a big step forward for equality in the sport as well as gathering more feedback. The test will take place on November 7th in Valencia.

Driver lineups: 

Andretti Formula E: Chloe Chambers and Nerea Marti

Both of these drivers are currently in F1 Academy, with Marti in her second and final year and Chambers confirmed to be continuing in 2025 as well as joining the Red Bull family after being supported by Haas in her rookie season. Both have scored one win with Marti in Le Castelle in 2023 and Chambers in Barcelona. 

Neom McLaren Formula E Team: Bianca Bustamante and Ella Lloyd 

Bustamante is supported by McLaren in her second and final year of the F1 Academy series with multiple podiums and race wins behind her name. Ella Lloyd, however, was a wild card at a previous event and managed to impress a lot of people. She impressed McLaren with her talent so much that she joined their academy and will take over the keys when Bustamante leaves F1 Academy after this year to continue on the papaya colours. 

Envision Racing: Alisha Palmowski and Alice Powell

Palmowski has won many events in the past including being vice champion in GB4 in 2024 with 3 wins and 11 podiums. She has also made it through to the final 10 of the Autosport Young Driver Award. Powell has participated in W-Series prior to its administration in 2022. She won races in the series against a few drivers on this list and is now coaching F1 Academy standings leader Abbi Pulling. 

Maserati MSG Racing: Tatiana Calderon and Carrier Schreiner: 

The 2 ladies participating under the Monegasque team have a lot of experience. Calderon has participated in Formula 2, Super Formula, World Endurance Championship in LMP2 class and Indycar. Schreiner is currently racing in F1 Academy with Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber supporting her. 

Tag Heur Porsche Formula E Team: Marta Garcia and Gabriela Jilkova. 

Garcia is the reigning F1 Academy champion after competing in the series’ debut season with Prema Racing. She has raced in FRECA this season. Jilkova is a simulator and development driver for the German team with 43 laps being completed last year. 

Nissan Formula E Team: Abbi Pulling and Sophia Floesch: 

Pulling currently leads the F1 Academy standings as they enter the final 2 rounds at Qatar and Abu Dhabi in November and December. She is racing under the Alpine colours. Floesch is also in the Alpine family with her finishing another Formula 3 season. 

DS Penske: Jess Edgar and Beitski Visser

Edgar made her single seater debut in 2022 with GB4, picking up 1 podium in round 2. She made the jump to F1 Academy last year with her picking up 1 victory last year at Circuit Of The Americas. She is currently racing in F1 Academy again for her final year. Visser has competed in Formula 4, Formula 3.5 and W Series with many points being picked up. 

Lola Yamaha Abt: Miki Koyama

Koyama became the first female to win in a FIA Championship in Formula Regional Japanese Championship in 2022. She is also currently a Toyota Gazoo Racing development driver with competing in W-Series from 2019 to 2021. Lola Yamaha Abt have not yet announced a second female driver for this session.

Jaguar, Mahindra and Kiro Race Co have not announced either drivers yet. 

 

Costcap Breaches

Recently, it was announced that 2 teams broke the cost cap for the first year of Gen3: Jaguar and Nissan. Both teams were fined €100,000 and €300,000 respectfully. As a result of this, both teams will miss the first half day of testing. 

These have been described as a “Minor Breach” according to Formula E and the FIA with the breaches being in the region of “procedural and minor overspending”. 

Both teams have issued statements. 

Nissan describing the outcome and the result  as “…exclusively related to the process of interpretation and adaptation of the new financial regulations at a time when the team was also facing specific challenges…”

Jaguar said that “we believe that had we filed correctly we would have been fully compliant with the teams’ cost cap and the minor overspend breach would not have occurred”. 

Both statements are from the Formula E article announcing these breaches. 

Make sure to follow us on X here in order to stay up to date with all Formula E news! Let’s make this new season a good one! 

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Mexico Grand Prix Qualifying – Brilliant Sainz takes a dominant pole position for Ferrari

Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz will start from pole for tomorrow’s Mexican Grand Prix.

The Spaniard took his first pole position since Singapore last year with an excellent pair of laps in the third qualifying session.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen will start second ahead of championship rival Lando Norris, with Charles Leclerc a slightly disappointing fourth after a mistake cost him and Ferrari a chance of a front row lockout.

In the last week Ferrari have proven themselves to be spoilers for the two main championship protagonists, with a 1-2 last week headed by Leclerc in Austin  ahead of Verstappen and Norris.

Norris is 57 points behind but couldn’t have picked a better placed to start third from, with a 730 metre run to the first corner sure to offer the chance of a tow away from the grid.

The first qualifying session brought about two huge shocks in a frenetic and fast paced opening 18 minutes.

Home hero Sergio Perez was knocked out and will start 18th in the Red Bull, while Oscar Piastri ended his run of Q3 appearances that stretched back the entirety of 2024 to line up 17th.

That result is likely to damage Perez more than Piastri, whose error strewn session was much more of an anomaly for the man who was quickest in final practice versus the Mexican, who has been struggling all weekend.

They were joined by the less surprising trio of Franco Colapinto in 16th, Esteban Ocon in 19th and Sauber’s Zhou Guanyu in 20th.

The second qualifying session was ended ten seconds early as the RB of Yuki Tsunoda, who was on a lap destined to reach the top ten, crashed out at Turn 12 to leave himself stranded in 11th ahead of teammate Liam Lawson.

The two Aston Martins will share Row 7 with Fernando Alonso, on his 400th Grand Prix weekend, starting 13th and Lance Stroll edging Sauber’s Valtteri Bottas out for 14th.

Ferrari had looked like they were going to battle for the second row heading into Q3 with Norris and Verstappen having been the class of the field, but finally got their act together as Sainz set an early benchmark of 1:16.055.

That lap would have been enough for pole on its own, but he went again to dip below the 1:16s to clock 1:15.946 – a quarter of a second clear of the field.

Leclerc’s wobble in the second sector was compounded by another error at the final corner when the Monegasque was looking at second on the grid, but Ferrari will be satisfied nonetheless.

The Scuderia have designs on the Constructors’ Championship even still, being eight points behind Red Bull and 48 behind leaders McLaren with five races to go.

Elsewhere in the third session, George Russell beat Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton to fifth in the final session, while Haas’ impressive form continued with seventh for Kevin Magnussen and an unfortunate tenth for Nico Hulkenberg.

They sandwiched Pierre Gasly’s resurgent Alpine and Alex Albon’s Williams in eighth and ninth,

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MotoGP: The Beast Strikes In Misano

Image Credit: @Bestia23 on X

Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) clearly reflected on his Sprint race performance and upped his game for Sunday’s main event. ‘The Beast’ Enea hunted down Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) and simply wouldn’t let anyone else take the victory.

Was the winning overtake controversial? Yes! Of course it was, that said we have seen far worse moment’s in the heat of battle! It was a last lap battle for glory. It was hard racing and to some it crossed the line, but Bastianini took the chance and it paid off. Enea was rewarded for his relentless pursuit to win at his home Grand Prix in Misano.

Martin had given everything to win and I’m sure would have been far angrier had title rival Pecco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) not crashed out of the race. With the world champion in the gravel from a comfortable 3rd, Martin now has a 24pts lead in the championship as we head to Indonesia next weekend.

Image Credit: MotoGP
Image Credit: MotoGP

AS IT HAPPENED

Martin made a great start off the line and took the lead into turn 1. It was short lived as Martin ran in too hot into turn 2 and Pecco went around the outside of Martin and retook the lead into turn 2.

Pecco looked strong on lap 1 with almost half a second gap to Martin at the end of the lap. Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) had a great start and gained 7 places on the 1st lap and Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP) gained 5 places.

Yellow flags waved in sector 1 as Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) crashed out at turn 4. Binder was ok and re-joined the race to later finish in last place. The crash left a Binder sized gap between the front 3 of Pecco, Martin & Bastianini to the chasing back behind lead by Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3).

Into lap 3 and Martin was late on the brakes into turn 4 but unable to get it stopped as Bagnaia retook the lead into turn 5. Bagnaia, Martin and Enea all within touching distance at this point in the early stages of the race.

In the opening stages Bagnaia was under immense pressure from the GP24’s behind him. Acosta in 4th looked to bridge the gap to the front 3 setting the fastest lap of the race. Into lap 4, through turn 6 and down the straight Martin went up the inside of Pecco and the move stuck for the Spaniard taking the lead of the race. Much to the dismay of the partisan Italian crowd.

Bagnaia seemed to have less grip and pace with Enea seemingly being held up behind his Ducati teammate. Martin already stretched out a gap to 6 tenths of a second as Enea finally got by Bagnaia. Acosta however was still pushing that KTM to the limit and nearly lost the rear through turn 13.

Quarter race distance completed and Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team) was having his race of the season riding in 7th at this point on the factory Yamaha. Martin lead with Bastianini setting the quickest lap of the race.

 

Onto lap 10 and Acosta’s KTM couldn’t hang on any longer as Acosta went down in sector 4 at turn 15.

Bastianini continued the hunt of Martin out in the lead, as Bagnaia’s fortune turned for the better with blistering pace out of nowhere for the Bologna man. However, the world champ had an almost impossible task of closing the gap of 3 seconds to the leader.

All the hard work from Bagnaia came to nothing as Bagnaia went tumbling into the gravel on lap 21 of 27. Devastating for the championship and could possibly of handed a 29pts gap lead to Martin at this point.

Into the final few laps of the race and Bastianini was on the rear wheel of Martin. Bastianini planned his attack looking for any weakness in Martin as we headed to the conclusion of the race.

There was nothing between Martin and Bastianini as Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP) cruised around in the final podium position in 3rd.

Into the last lap we went and Martin was still hitting every apex and not willing to give up the race win. Bastianini had other ideas though and forced his way through to take victory!

 

Race Classification 

Image credit: MotoGP
Image credit: MotoGP

 

Image Credit: MotoGP
Image Credit: MotoGP

Constructors Champions 2024
Image Credit: MotoGP

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Formula 1 Exhibition London

A cloudy morning in London with a dreaded tube journey ahead of me but at the end of that the Formula One exhibition awaits.

As we passed through the doors you’re handed a set of headphones and a remote that will guide you through the exhibition, up the stairs and into the first gallery where you’re greeted by four of the most beautiful Formula One cars there has ever been. A Ferrari, A Lotus A Williams and a beautiful West McLaren.

As you’ve venture through the experience you’re greeted by not only more cars but trophies helmets, race suits busts of drivers and various interactive screens that take you through the history of Formula One.

The third room is centred around the safety aspect of F1 it’s there you’ll find Romain Grosjean Haas or the burnt out remains of it, you stand there and gaze and wonder how anyone could have possibly survived that! In the background a video of the incident plays.

Moving on around the exhibition into an immersive video experience followed by the Formula 1 race sims, I’m sure they will be extremely popular when the exhibition opens on Friday the 23rd of August.

Click below for tickets

https://f1exhibition.com/london/

Don’t miss out on this fantastic experience, the venue is fully wheelchair accessible and there’s a store to spend your money in when exiting.

Excel is well served by the Docklands light railway and the Elizabeth line, London’s famous Black Taxis are also available.

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