In the round-up: The FIA has confirmed Formula 1’s new manual override system for 2026 will have the same one-second proximity window as DRS does today.
In brief
Manual override to depend on proximity
The FIA’s single seater director Nikolas Tombazis, says that the new ‘manual override mode’ power boost set to be introduced with the new power units for 2026 will be dependent on cars being within a certain gap of the car ahead.
“We will be achieving a very similar effect to the DRS with the electrical part of the engine,” Tombazis told the official F1 website. “Cars that are within one second of the front car will have a bit more energy to recover and they will be also able to use a bit more power on the straights.
“So we believe that effect is very, very comparable to the DRS.”
Ferrari complete Mugello tyre test
Ferrari completed their second day of running in a two-day tyre test with Pirelli at the Mugello circuit.
After Charles Leclerc ran over 600km on the first day on Thursday in mixed conditions, Carlos Sainz Jnr ran just over 700km as F1’s tyre supplier focused on reducing tyres overheating from next season.
“These two days have been very valuable,” said Pirelli’s motorsport director, Mario Isola. “The data gathered over these 1,337 kilometres here are very interesting and will allow us to begin to narrow the field of what might be the most effective solutions, so we can finalise our choices over the coming months.”
2025 WEC calendar announced
The FIA has confirmed the World Endurance Championship calender for 2025, running an identical schedule to the current championship.
The season will comprise the same eight rounds at the same eight circuits in the same order, starting with a prologue test at the Losail circuit in Qatar before the 1,812km of Qatar in late February and ending with the Eight Hours of Bahrain in November.
The FIA also announced that it has signed a deal with the Imola circuit to keep the track on the WEC calender until at least the end of the 2028 season.
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Links
Motor racing links of interest:
Not only Max, but Jos also in action in an F1 car in Austria (Verstappen.com)
‘Jos will do Max’s honours and will race around the track in Spielberg with the 2012 RB8, with the loud V8 engine. It is the car in which Sebastian Vettel won his third world title that year.’
‘It’s a very special race’ – F1 drivers reflect on Le Mans 24 Hours (Formula 1)
George Russell: ”I think definitely after my Formula 1 career, I would love to race in Le Mans and maybe even do it with some guys who are in F1 at the moment. I think it would be quite cool. Alex (Albon) and I spoke like a couple of years ago about doing like a GT race or something together, but I don’t know who you’d want (on your team)!”
Cover drive to survive: When Tailenders met Oscar Piastri (BBC)
‘Greg, Jimmy and Felix recorded a special podcast episode at the headquarters of McLaren in Woking, where they met Formula One driver – and huge cricket fan – Oscar Piastri.’
Lewis Hamilton Helped Produce This Documentary on ‘Motorcycle Mary’ McGee (Ride Apart)
‘To honor McGee’s legacy and her valuable contributions to the world of motorcycle racing, Rachel Greenwald produced a documentary entitled “Motorcycle Mary,” which features the work of director Haley Watson in her directorial debut. The film was also executive produced by two-time Oscar winner Ben Proudfoot and seven-times Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton, so you can bet this short film is worth a watch.’
Bruno Michel’s Column: Both Championships taking shape ahead of upcoming triple header (F2)
‘Gabriel Bortoleto and Andrea Kimi Antonelli will also be under scrutiny in the next part of the season. The former has two pole positions to his name already, but no wins yet. He is two points ahead of Antonelli, who has showed that the more experience he gains, the stronger he gets. It will be interesting to see how both perform at Barcelona next week, along with another newcomer and race winner Franco Colapinto, currently eighth in the Standings.’
WEC: 2025 schedule and key future regulatory changes revealed at Le Mans (FIA)
‘Taking into consideration the ongoing popularity of the current LMP2 package, it was decided to postpone the introduction of the next generation of the LMP2 class car to 2028 (instead of the originally planned 2026), with new chassis and engine yet to be selected. The current generation of the LMP2 car was introduced in 2017. Due to the high volume of entries in the FIA World Endurance Championship’s Hypercar class, the LMP2 class was suspended from the series in 2024, however, the cars maintained their FIA homologation. They also continue to take part in the 24 Hours of Le Mans as well as in European Le Mans Series, Asian Le Mans Series and IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.’
The adult driver exodus from karting (Alan Dove)
‘The harsh reality is that adult karting, particularly owner-driver adult karting, is collapsing. Historical data paints a stark picture: in 1974, there were over 4000 karters. The split being 3,537 Senior (16+) karting drivers compared to 491 Juniors. That’s 87% Senior oriented. Today, the landscape has shifted dramatically. The Motorsport UK Report from 2019 shows 3,229 kart licence holders. There is no published breakdown of Junior vs Seniors, but the ABkC reported in their 2019 AGM Meeting that 70% of new ARKS tests were for Juniors. This suggests a significant demographic shift, with far fewer adults participating in the sport.’
Perry McCarthy’s Andrea Moda fails at the pitlane exit – Spain 1992 (AlanMcB via YouTube)
Rare EuroSport footage from 1992 has emerged of Perry McCarthy infamously failing to pre-qualify for the Spanish Grand Prix for the ill-fated Andrea Moda team.
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