‘New teams, new brand’: Formula E CEO Jamie Reigle looks ahead to Diriyah E-Prix double-header

Exclusive ‘New teams, new brand’: Formula E CEO Jamie Reigle looks ahead to Diriyah E-Prix double-header
Cars are parked on the track on the second day of Diriyah E-Prix, in the Saudi capital Riyadh in 2021.(AFP)
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Updated 27 January 2023

‘New teams, new brand’: Formula E CEO Jamie Reigle looks ahead to Diriyah E-Prix double-header

‘New teams, new brand’: Formula E CEO Jamie Reigle looks ahead to Diriyah E-Prix double-header
  • Reigle talks exclusively to Arab News about Season 9, the new Gen3 car and what the future holds for the all-electric series

DUBAI: In the end, it proved all right on the night.

Almost 40,000 raucous fans turned up to welcome Formula E’s Gen3 era in Mexico City two weeks ago, and this weekend Riyadh will host the Diriyah E-Prix double-header.

“Mexico was fantastic,” Formula E CEO Jamie Reigle said. “I guess I have to start by saying there’s no denying that there was a pretty high degree of anxiety as we came into the race, for a host of reasons. First of all, it’s the first race to the season, so inevitably it’s a mix of excited emotions and anxious emotions.

“We’re talking top tier sport drivers, team principals, the manufacturers that want to win — so good that sense of anticipation, but this year that was ramped up, because it’s a brand new car, Gen3, which is a big leap forward.

“And we really push the limits in terms of the car,” he added. “We reduced the weight by 60 kg, we increased the power by 100 kilowatts, a lot of changes under the hood, so to speak, as well as new tires and a new battery. So there were some pretty well cataloged challenges that the teams faced in the testing period.”

After four successful years of Gen2, Formula E seems to have been given a reboot.

“From a purely commercial perspective, we launched our new brand identity,” Reigle said. “We had three new teams coming in, you had Maserati joining, in partnership with Monaco Sports Group, you had McLaren coming in, and then Cupra, coming back with the ABT team. New teams, new brands, just everything was new, and it was really successful.”

On Friday and Saturday the action moves to Saudi Arabia with rounds 2 and 3 of Formula E Season 9 taking place under the lights in Diriyah, increasingly a favorite destination for the drivers.

“I was at dinner last night — we did a charity fundraiser, gala dinner, and I was at the table with Andre Lotterer (of Avalanche Andretti),” said Reigle. “I wasn’t trying to tee him up. We had a group of guests and I asked ‘Andre, so what’s your favorite circuit in Formula E and motorsport?’ This guy has won Le Mans three times and raced in a lot of places. Without skipping a beat, he said Diriyah. It’s fast, high-speed corners, it’s really challenging to drive. The setting is amazing and it’s a night race, and sport, especially the electric cars and motorsport, just looks cool at night.

“The drivers love it.”

Reigle’s first race as CEO was Diriyah in 2019, and he has overseen the sport’s growth in the ensuing three years, which, of course, included the COVID-19 pandemic.

The future, he says, “is electric.”

Reigle added: “If you think about sports that didn’t exist 20, 30 years ago, and are big today, there’s very, very few. There’s really only one that has broken into the top, top tier, and it’s probably UFC. It was started in the 90s, kind of bubbled around, and then it got bigger and bigger.

“And Formula E has that opportunity,” he added. “We’ve got the top drivers, we’ve got a lot of the top manufacturers and teams — all the conditions are there. We’ve got these great venues. The question is do we have the fan base?”

The turnout in Mexico — “a big moment” — as well as the Gen3 car and changes in racing format, would suggest that increasingly, Formula E does.

Then there is the stellar lineup of drivers.

“People want to watch the best compete against the best,” Reigle said. “The good news for Formula E is that we already have a very high caliber of stars. Because of the way we grew up, we don’t have pay drivers, we don’t have guys whose dad owns the team. It’s all top tier professionals — guys who have won Le Mans, who have been in Formula One, who have won in DTM and who built their careers in Formula E.”

Reigle highlighted the career path of Dutch driver Nyck De Vries — Formula E champion in 2021 and now signed to Formula One’s Scuderia AlphaTauri — as an example of the high standards in electric racing. Other examples are Mitch Evans and Jake Dennis, the winner in Mexico City.

“Last year we did Indonesia for the first time and we had 60,000 people,” said Reigle. “MotoGP, that’s their only really international sporting event, now we’re adding to that. So you’ve got these big opportunities in emerging markets.

“This year we’re adding Hyderabad, Cape Town — we’re heading to Sao Paulo and Portland. Those are big markets that we’re going to open up, which is really exciting.

“If in three years, we’re not adding a few more cities, I’ll be disappointed.”


Alonso seeks 33rd Formula 1 win after 100 podium finishes

Alonso seeks 33rd Formula 1 win after 100 podium finishes
Updated 30 March 2023

Alonso seeks 33rd Formula 1 win after 100 podium finishes

Alonso seeks 33rd Formula 1 win after 100 podium finishes
  • Alonso last won an F1 race in Spain in 2013, but his pair of podium finishes in 2023 have excited fans in his homeland

MELBOURNE: After claiming his 100th podium in Saudi Arabia in confusing and controversial circumstances, Fernando Alonso is looking for a better result at Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix than his two third-place finishes so far this Formula One season.

Maybe even his 33rd Formula One win, and first in 10 years.

The Aston Martin driver was behind the Red Bull pair of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez in the first two races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia in what has been a one-sided championship so far.

Alonso believes the championship will become more competitive as the season progresses but is pleased with how his Aston Martin is performing leading into the Melbourne race.

Practice sessions for the Australian Grand Prix begin on Friday, with another session on Saturday prior to qualifying.

“At the moment we are extremely happy with the performance of the car, obviously. It was better than expected, especially in Jeddah,” Alonso said. “We arrived here with a good level of confidence. But, as I said, after a few events from now on, I think the cars will change a lot in a few areas through development.”

The 41-year-old Alonso became the sixth driver in Formula One to reach the 100-podium milestone when he finished third in Saudi Arabia two weeks ago in a race with a contentious postscript.

The Aston Martin driver was hit with a 10-second penalty for being slightly out of position at the start, which dropped him to fourth behind Mercedes’ George Russell.

Alonso was later reinstated to third after a successful appeal to FIA, arguing stewards had not informed Aston Martin of the penalty within the regulated timing.

Russell said on Thursday it was a strange situation but believes the correct call was made.

“Obviously it was the right decision. It was just a bit of a shame what a mess it was for everybody else,” Russell said. “I think from my side and our side, we didn’t feel like we deserved to finish in third position, but obviously it is quite a nice feeling when it is handed to you. But then when it is taken away, it was just all a bit silly.”

Alonso said although “the situation in Jeddah was not ideal,” he still enjoyed the experience of celebrating the achievement on the podium prior to the stewards’ deliberations.

As a result of the Jeddah situation, the grid box for the Australian Grand Prix and remaining races has been extended, with a center line added to help drivers start in the correct position.

Alonso last won an F1 race in Spain in 2013, but his pair of podium finishes in 2023 have excited fans in his homeland, including No. 1- ranked tennis player and compatriot Carlos Alcaraz.

Alcaraz dedicated a victory over Tommy Paul in the Miami Masters this week to the two-time world champion. After his triumph, Alcaraz wrote the words “33 soon” when signing off on the result on the broadcast camera lens. It prompted a friendly interaction between the pair on social media.

“It is crazy to see how Spain is now so enthusiastic again for Formula One, for everything that is happening. This is very nice to see,” Alonso said. “Hopefully we can reach that number, 33, and then go for 34.”

Verstappen, who leads the drivers’ championship by one point from Perez, believes Alonso is capable of ending the drought soon.

“I think Fernando should have won a lot more races. He deserves to. I would be happy to see him win No. 33 but also in a way, I would like to see him win more,” he said.


Jaguar roar back to dominate podium at Brazil’s inaugural Formula E race

Jaguar roar back to dominate podium at Brazil’s inaugural Formula E race
Updated 27 March 2023

Jaguar roar back to dominate podium at Brazil’s inaugural Formula E race

Jaguar roar back to dominate podium at Brazil’s inaugural Formula E race
  • Mitch Evans claims first win of the season for Jaguar TCS Racing at 2023 Julius Baer Sao Paulo E-Prix
  • Sam Bird joins teammate Evans on the podium with third place, while Envision Racing’s Nick Cassidy takes second

Mitch Evans of Jaguar TCS Racing led home a one-two-three for the Jaguar powertrain, with Nick Cassidy (Envision Racing) and Sam Bird (Jaguar TCS Racing) crossing the line virtually together.

The trio finished just half a second apart to close out a dramatic inaugural Julius Baer Sao Paulo E-Prix in front of more than 23,000 passionate motorsport fans.

It was a flat out push to the finish at the rapid 11-turn Sao Paulo Street Circuit, with Evans managing to navigate his way through constant position changes to take the checkered flag first, from third on the grid. The New Zealander took the initiative and the race lead from his compatriot Cassidy as the race headed into extra laps following multiple safety car incidents.

His move on lap 32 proved to be decisive, with neither Cassidy nor Evans’ teammate Bird able to undo the leader’s defensive driving — despite Bird having collected a couple of extra percentage points of usable energy during his climb from 10th on the grid at the start. Cassidy had led the race more than once but will be more than satisfied to score three consecutive podiums for the first time in his Formula E career.

The victorious Evans said: “This has come at the perfect time. We had a tough start but the car has been quick so to finally get the victory and some points is incredible. A Jaguar one-two-three. Nick pushed me all the way — we pushed each other — both teams executed brilliantly. This is down to a lot of hard work, there is a lot of graft that goes in with simulations. To try and put these races together regarding strategy is not easy. I wouldn’t have wanted it much closer than that.”

Defending world champion Stoffel Vandoorne (DS PENSKE) started in pole position and led the way early on, fending off Antonio Felix da Costa (TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team) during the first round of ATTACK MODE activations until the race reached its halfway stage.

The lead was almost impossible to track on lap 14 with three or four changes over that tour alone and Cassidy coming out on top.

But Vandoorne would end up sixth after struggling for usable energy from his time at the front. Da Costa had slipped to fourth and briefly made designs on the podium but wound up settling just outside the podium positions. Jean-Eric Vergne (DS PENSKE) headed his teammate home for an eventual fifth spot.

Standings leader Pascal Wehrlein (TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team) had it all to do from 18th on the grid and managed to slice his way through the pack to seventh position at the checkered flag, with Jake Hughes (NEOM McLaren Formula E Team) finishing eighth, just ahead of teammate Rene Rast in ninth and with Sebastien Buemi (Envision Racing) rounding out the top 10.

Meanwhile, Jake Dennis (Avalanche Andretti Formula E) suffered another non-finish after contact from Dan Ticktum’s NIO 333 saw his 99X Electric shoved into Wehrlein’s Porsche.

Wehrlein maintains his Drivers World Championship lead on 86 points from Dennis with 62 points, while Cassidy moves into third just a point behind the Brit. TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team heads Envision Racing 144 points to 103 points with Jaguar TCS Racing third on 83 points.

Runner-up Cassidy said: “I am super happy with the podium today, with a race like that you can’t not be happy right. That was Formula E at its best, so much fun in the car, I hope it was a good watch. Very strategic, Sam did a great job as well, one-two-three Jaguar, pretty cool. I knew (how much energy Sam Bird had), that was a lot of the reason for getting Mitch to go on. I knew to get the win would be pretty difficult and that I would have to do something special on Mitch to turn that round, but I was at a high risk of finishing third.”

Germany is the next stop in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship for rounds seven and eight and the 2023 SABIC Berlin E-Prix double-header on April 22 and 23.


World champion Francesco Bagnaia avoids Marquez mayhem to win MotoGP opener

World champion Francesco Bagnaia avoids Marquez mayhem to win MotoGP opener
Updated 27 March 2023

World champion Francesco Bagnaia avoids Marquez mayhem to win MotoGP opener

World champion Francesco Bagnaia avoids Marquez mayhem to win MotoGP opener
  • Marc Marquez crashed and wiped out home favorite Miguel Oliveira on lap three to leave the way clear for Bagnaia

PORTIMAO, Portugal: World champion Francesco Bagnaia won Sunday’s season-opening Portuguese MotoGP after a costly mistake by pole-sitter Marc Marquez.

Ducati star Bagnaia coasted across the line ahead of Aprilia’s Maverick Vinales in the Algarve sunshine to follow up his win in MotoGP’s inaugural sprint 24 hours earlier.

Marquez crashed and wiped out home favorite Miguel Oliveira on lap three to leave the way clear for Bagnaia to get his championship defense off to a perfect start.

Bagnaia leaves Portimao with a maximum 37 points from the first of the 21-race season.

“That’s the start me and my team wanted,” the Italian told motogp.com. “We have to keep going like this.”

He then joked that after Saturday’s 12-lap dash in the sprint “I’m not used to such a long race.”

Bagnaia’s compatriot Marco Bezzecchi, riding Ducati’s VR46 bike, came in third to complete the podium.

If it was reasonably plain sailing for the world champion it was anything but for Marquez.

A rare moment of madness from the Spaniard provided the main drama of the afternoon.

The pole sitter clipped Jorge Martin and then his out-of-control Honda slammed into the back of Oliveira’s KTM, wiping out the Portuguese rider who had high hopes of a podium finish in front of his home fans.

Marquez received a hostile reception from some of the fans on his return to the pits where he quickly made his way to Oliveira’s garage to offer his apologies.

The six-time former world champion suffered a suspected hand fracture as well as a time-penalty.

Martin, facing an uphill task to get back into the race, eventually slipped out with six laps left.

Oliveira had led fleetingly, following a quick start from the second row on the grid, before Bagnaia forged to the front, seconds before Marquez made his intervention.

Vinales was encouraged by his promising start to the season.

“I feel good, I missed the chance to overtake because ‘Pecco’ (Bagnaia), I knew, had a little more (pace). “I’m actually really happy — we are going to fight in the front.”


Piquet fined for racist comments about Hamilton

Piquet fined for racist comments about Hamilton
Updated 25 March 2023

Piquet fined for racist comments about Hamilton

Piquet fined for racist comments about Hamilton
  • The 70-year-old Brazilian had referred to seven-time champion Hamilton as “neguinho,” a racially offensive term which means “little Black guy,” in 2021
  • In their complaint, the human rights groups said that Piquet violated the norm of human dignity enshrined in the country’s constitution

RIO DE JANEIRO: Retired Formula One champion Nelson Piquet has been ordered by a Brazilian court to pay $950,000 in “moral damages” for making racist comments about Lewis Hamilton.
The 70-year-old Brazilian had referred to seven-time champion Hamilton as “neguinho,” a racially offensive term which means “little Black guy,” in 2021. In another interview, Piquet used racist and offensive language.
The court in Brasilia on Friday ordered Piquet to pay 5 million Brazilian reals “in collective moral damages, to be allocated to funds for the promotion of racial equality and against discrimination of the pride community.”
The charges were filed by several human rights groups.
In their complaint, the human rights groups said that Piquet violated the norm of human dignity enshrined in the country’s constitution. The judge said Piquet’s comments corresponded to the definition of racial discrimination outlined in Brazil’s 2010 Statute of Racial Equality.
Hamilton had condemned “archaic mindsets,” and the Mercedes driver said he had been “surrounded by these attitudes and targeted (my) whole life.” He is the only Black driver in F1 and received honorary citizenship from Brazil last year.
Piquet, who won three F1 titles in the 1980s, was discussing a crash between Hamilton and Red Bull driver Max Verstappen that took place during the British Grand Prix in 2021. His daughter Kelly Piquet is Verstappen’s girlfriend.
Piquet later apologized in a statement for the “ill thought out” racial term but said it “is one that has widely and historically been used colloquially in Brazilian Portuguese as a synonym for ‘guy’ or ‘person’ and was never intended to offend.”
In his decision, judge Pedro Matos de Arruda said “subtlety is one of the characteristics of contemporary Brazilian racism” and that the word is “not an affectionate nickname.”
Piquet had used racist language in the other interview when discussing Hamilton missing out on a previous championship.
The retired driver has the right to appeal the ruling.
Piquet had angered some F1 fans for his support of former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro. He donated about $95,000 to Bolsonaro’s failed re-election bid.


Yas Heat Racing Academy begins search for future karting stars

Yas Heat Racing Academy begins search for future karting stars
Updated 22 March 2023

Yas Heat Racing Academy begins search for future karting stars

Yas Heat Racing Academy begins search for future karting stars
  • Yas Marina Circuit-based racing academy will host 3 open days on Yas KartZone track from March 25
  • Promising talent will earn spots on the grid at the Yas Heat Racing Championship later this year

ABU DHABI: Yas Heat Racing Academy has announced its first official Yas Heat Racing Karting Open Day on March 25 as part of the team’s search for the fastest young talent to join the karting team in 2023.

Based at the Yas Marina Circuit track on Yas Island, the academy was formed in November 2022 ahead of the Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, and is led by rookie drivers Matteo Quintarelli and Keanu Al-Azhari — who both scored podium finishes on the team’s debut racing weekend.

After an impressive first season competing in the F4 UAE Championship in early 2023, the academy is hosting three official open days in the hope of finding future stars of racing to join the first Yas Heat Karting team this year.

Following the first open day on March 18, karters aged eight to 12 can register for upcoming official open days, with the fastest drivers around the Yas Kartzone track being selected to compete in the Yas Heat Racing Karting Championship.

Matthew Norman, team manager of the Yas Heat Racing Academy, said: “After such a promising start to the year with the academy’s debut season in the F4 UAE Championship, we are delighted to announce the first official Yas Heat Karting Racing Open Days as we continue to search for the brightest and best young drivers across the UAE.

“It’s no secret that the world’s most elite superstars, including those we see each weekend lining up on the Formula One grid, all started their racing journeys through karting, and we hope to find some exciting new talent to join our academy following the new Yas Heat Racing Karting Championship coming later in 2023. We look forward to welcoming the new era of young drivers joining us at the circuit this weekend.”

With the goal to produce homegrown drivers at Yas Marina Circuit and provide young talented drivers with a clear and defined career pathway — from grassroots all the way up to the world stage of motorsport — the Yas Heat Racing Academy aims to inspire the next generation of local UAE racing stars to pursue their dreams, from karting through to FIA-accredited competitions.

The next official Yas Heat Karting Open Day will take place on Saturday, March 25 from 10 a.m. at Yas Kartzone, with further Open Days to come from Saturday, April 1.