Pressure is building on the FIA to reduce the cost of racing in their development pyramid and this week in the Driver Development Roundup I have the details on who is applying the pressure. I also have an analysis of the future of the F1 Academy, the Winfield Racing School’s plans for the Middle East and how the legacy of Jules Bianchi lives on.
Red Bull senior advisor Helmut Marko, Pierre Gasly and Fernando Alonso have called on the FIA to act on reducing costs for young prospects looking to climb the junior ladder.
“I think we all will agree that motor sport is extremely expensive right now, not only from the top categories. I think karting became a little bit too much, you know, 200,000, 250,000 for a season in karting now, it seems not a logical starting point for any motor sport enthusiast,” said Alonso. “So, yeah. It’s not an easy fix. And I don’t know how it could be policed in a way. But yeah, I think we are all concerned about that.”
Read more at Planet F1.
The F1 Academy has been a controversial addition to the driver development scene with some believing that the female-only series will help speed up the process of getting more women in racing while others feel that a segregated series is not the way to develop young female drivers.
Below are a number of articles that look at the series and what the future holds for it.
- What does the future hold for F1 Academy? (Motorsport Week)
- How the F1 Academy Discover Your Drive program is enacting change in motorsport (Motorsport Week)
- F3 boss Michel not expecting F1 Academy drivers on 2025 F3 grid (Feeder Series)
Nielsen Racing is looking to reach new heights in its second decade of existence, with the news that it has employed a technical director for the first time and formed a partnership with a major new investor. Both these developments bode well for their driver development initiatives.
“Beyond its LMP2 effort in the ELMS (and, it hopes, Le Mans), the team will also continue to support the ACO ladder in Europe going forward. In 2025 it plans to run two Ligier JS P4s in the Ligier European Series, continuing its longstanding tradition of nurturing young, aspirant talent.”
Read more at Daily Sportscar.
Bahrain-based Winfield Racing School will be entering a team in the Formula Middle East 2025 Championship, with some homegrown talent possibly being a part of a three-driver squad. The entry was revealed by Winfield Group president Frederic Garcia, who was speaking about the academy’s plans and programs for the upcoming 2024-25 national campaign at Bahrain International Circuit (BIC).
Winfield Racing School, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2024, has an unrivaled reputation in Europe for the training and selection of talented young racing drivers. Earlier this year, it joined forces with BIC to create The Winfield Racing School Middle East, which has the mission of detecting, training and evaluating young motorsport talent from all over the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region.
Read more at GDN Online and get more information about the F4 Training Camp in Bahrain here.
On 5 October 2014, Jules Bianchi suffered a horrific accident at the Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix, passing away from his injuries in July 2015. Ten years later, his legacy lives on through the motorsport projects related to the Association Jules Bianchi, created in his memory. Feeder Series looks at how they are helping to develop the next generation of race drivers.
“With Jules, we wanted to support young drivers together,” Philippe Bianchi told Feeder Series. “Jules’ career was never easy. We were not billionaires. Jules got a lot of luck. He was talented, and we met the right people at the right time that brought him up to F1. That’s why we always wanted to support young drivers. The idea was there.”
Read the full story here.
Lewis Hamilton has been praised by a leading mental health charity for speaking openly about battling depression.
“We are grateful to Lewis Hamilton for being so open and sharing his experience with depression, and the impact that racism has had on him over many years,” Joe Levenson, head of media at mental health charity Mind told Autosport. “Speaking up and speaking out can help to normalise conversations and challenge the stigma that so often surrounds mental health. At Mind, we know that when public figures speak openly about their mental health, it can have a powerful impact. Our research has shown that one in five people have started a conversation about their mental health after hearing a celebrity or someone in the public eye share their experience.”
Alan Dove feels that Hamilton’s admission should be a wake-up call for junior karting.
“My latest concern stems from when I attended the FIA World Karting Championship and felt it was not a healthy environment for children. Junior Karting should be a place for young people to race, make mistakes, and enjoy time with their families. Any career aspirations should only be seriously considered from the age of 14 onwards. I understand that substantial sums of money are involved and that change is unlikely, but I think the sport is approaching a point where serious questions need to be raised. Championships are fine, but the associations with F1 and ‘major’ British and International title labels don’t actually add anything to the experience of karting competition. They just bring pressure.”
For more information about depression, please visit Mind’s website.
Robert Wickens has collaborated with Bosch Motorsport to adapt Bosch electronic braking control technology developed in the hybrid-powered Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) cars that race in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship to the Hyundai he races in the Michelin Pilot Challenge. More importantly, the new system could be utilized in GTP cars – and conceivably in nearly any racing car.
“We’re taking the next step of innovation with an electronic braking system that is hand controlled,” said Jacob Bergenske, director, Bosch Motorsport North America. “The platform is based off our proven performance in the LMDh electronic braking system, but it’s an innovation on top of that which we are super happy to collaborate with Robert on. We’re at the beginning or the dawn of a new generation, and of course we still have more potential to release. This system is about providing opportunity and parity across the field, for people who are not able to race at the top level of racing. Robert is here to prove that.”
Launching a driver development program to advance the skill set of the next motorsports stars, Toney Driver Development (TDD) is putting a pair of their drivers into race action next month. Taking on the FR Americas championship finale at the famed Circuit of the Americas (COTA) over the October 31 to November 3 weekend, TDD will make their race weekend debut with Hailie Deegan and Brady Golan.
“The goal for TDD is to develop drivers and prepare them for race events and future programs,” explained Nathan Toney, Owner of TDD. “After test days at various locations and big plans for the winter months, some of the best experience can be gained in real race experience, and putting Hailie and Brady into race situations will only advance their race knowledge and prepare them more for what is to come.”
More information on the program can be found here.
Bonnet Magazine talks to Dan Wells and Oscar Lee from Drivers Lab on shaping the future of racing. “Coaching, whether a driver or any other individual, is always about firstly understanding where they are at – what do they understand, how do they understand it. Then, being able to assess in which way they learn best. I make sure that all the drivers I work with develop a thick skin – which is very much needed in motorsport just as it is in life!”
Read the full article here.
Italiaracing’s Mattia Tremolada has tested several single-seater cars in the name of motorsport journalism, and this summer he took that to the next level by going wheel-to-wheel with FF1600’s top talents in Britain and Formula Scout has all the details.
“FF1600 occupies an ecosystem almost completely overlooked by motorsport insiders elsewhere in Europe, who focus on the FIA’s series when structuring their training and racing en route to F1. F4 and GB3 fit that bill in the British Isles, but their popularity has – unlike in other nations – not pushed a category that is in many ways “old school” into non-existence. The cars in FF1600 are built on a tubular chassis, with grooved tyres and a four-speed H-pattern gearbox with clutch. Visually what distuinguishes them from the carbon fibre creations of F4 and higher categories is the lack of front or rear wing. That creates a very different challenge, but enables incredibly close racing and helps the category to continue churning out talent.”
The Champions of the Future Academy Program was created with a dual purpose: to expand the karting base worldwide and to open the door for many potential talents seeking visibility from feeder series talent scouts. The direct connection with F1 Academy and the fixed, locked-in price “arrive and drive” formula are the two main strengths of the new project by RGMMC.
More details can be found at VroomKart.
Formula E had announced a world-first for an FIA Championship in holding a dedicated test session for women racing drivers in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.
The first-of-its-kind test in the all-electric championship provides elite women racing drivers the opportunity to drive the new for Season 11 (2024/25) GEN3 Evo race car, which is capable of 0-60 mph in just 1.82 seconds – 30% faster than a current F1 car. The car will also be tested during the same week by the 11 world-class race teams and 22 drivers currently competing in the series.
Each of the race teams in the championship will be required to field at least one woman driver for the half-day test, but encouraged to field two, who will all drive in current-season cars.
With all the women on track at the same time, the session creates a tangible platform for a wide pool of elite drivers who wouldn’t otherwise get an opportunity to drive machinery at this level. The test aims to provide the women not only with a destination but also a pathway to develop their careers and skills using current technology at its full potential.
More details can be found here.
Speaking of Formula E, F2 driver Zane Maloney has elected to race full-time next year in the all-electric series with new team Abt Lola. “With manufacturer involvement, quality drivers and ever-increasing car speeds, Formula E has begun to turn itself into a desirable destination for young drivers with talent but perhaps not the opportunities or backing of their contemporaries to reach F1.” Autosport looks into how he made his decision and why.
Finally, Formula 1’s plans to host a rookie sprint race at December’s Abu Dhabi’s post-season test have been abandoned due to logistical reasons, with the idea set to be revisited in the future.
“The concept of a “rookie race” to be added to the 2024 post-season test schedule at Abu Dhabi was discussed,” a report from the commission meeting stated. “While the concept received widespread support, it was determined that due to timing and organisational constraints, the event would not take place in 2024, and discussions will continue to formulate a potential concept and plan for 2025.”
Autosport has all the details.
Author: Mark Boudreau
Mark is the publisher of Motorsport Prospects. As a lawyer, he applies his legal background and research skills to assist race drivers by showcasing the resources they need to make their motorsport careers happen.
