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Franco Colapinto reveals important career-first ahead of full-time F1 campaign
racingnews365.com·

Franco Colapinto reveals important career-first ahead of full-time F1 campaign

Franco Colapinto has revealed that, for the first time in his motorsport career, he finally had a “proper off-season” ahead of his first full-time Formula 1 campaign. For the past two seasons, Colapinto has found himself stepping into a seat mid-year. In 2024, he replaced Logan Sargeant at Williams following the Dutch Grand Prix, before taking Jack Doohan’s seat at Alpine from Imola onwards last year. With him remaining at Alpine for 2026, Colapinto has undergone his first winter break as an F1 driver, allowing him to become even more integrated with the Enstone-based outfit. Not only that, but Friday afternoon’s launch of Alpine’s A526 was Colapinto’s first in the pinnacle of motorsport, highlighting how relatively inexperienced the 22-year-old still is. The new power unit regulations mark the start of a new era for Alpine, with the team now a Mercedes customer outfit — and also presenting a huge opportunity for Colapinto. Colapinto finds himself on a level playing field, with him and all the drivers starting from scratch with the new cars. "Firstly, I am so excited," said Colapinto. "For the first time in my career, I have had a proper off-season in preparation for a full-time year right from testing and the first race.  "For me, this is really important as I feel a real part of the project and it means I can really work hard with everyone at the team from the beginning. "We have had a good chance to see the car and prepare on the simulator. Of course, it is very different to anything I have experienced so far and I think that is the same for most drivers on the grid. There are new tricks and new challenges to learn to extract the most from the package and I see that as a truly amazing challenge. "I know everyone at the team is extremely motivated to have a good season. I will just try to learn as much as possible in the early races, keep building, keep growing and hopefully that will mean we can be competitive as a team."

The former F1 drivers competing in the 2026 Daytona 24 Hours
racingnews365.com·

The former F1 drivers competing in the 2026 Daytona 24 Hours

The 64th running of the Rolex 24 Hours at the Daytona International Speedway this weekend is shaping up to be a star-studded endurance classic, with several former Formula 1 drivers set to take on one of motorsport’s toughest challenges. Leading the charge in the top prototype GTP class is Kevin Magnussen, the Danish racer with 185 F1 starts for McLaren, Renault and Haas.  Now part of BMW’s factory programme, Magnussen will share driving duties in the #25 BMW M Team WRT with Marco Wittmann, Philipp Eng and Raffaele Marciello. Brazilian driver Felipe Nasr is another ex-F1 competitor contesting the overall honours. Nasr, who raced for Sauber between 2014 and 2016, will co-pilot the #7 Porsche Penske Motorsport with Laurin Heinrich and Julien Andlauer, a squad looking for a third consecutive overall win. Will Stevens and Jack Aitken—both with brief Formula 1 histories—are also entered in GTP machinery. Stevens is in the #10 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing DEX, while Aitken drives the #31 Cadillac Whelan with teammates Earl Bamber, Frederik Vesti and rising NASCAR star Connor Zilisch. The LMP2 class features multiple ex-F1 names. Former American driver Logan Sargeant will compete for #18 Era Motorsport alongside Naveen Rao, Ferdinand Habsburg and Jacob Abel. More endurance experience comes from Sebastien Bourdais, a former Toro Rosso driver who lines up for #8 Tower Motorsports. Last year's race was dramatic for Bourdais as he claimed a famous win, before a post-race penalty dropped his team to last.  Another ex-F1 figure is Paul di Resta, with the #22 United Autosports. Pietro Fittipaldi, another driver with ties to the Haas F1 team, completes the former-F1 contingent in LMP2. In the GTD ranks, two ex-F1 drivers bring additional pedigree to the category. Romain Grosjean, who competed in 179 F1 races, is back behind the wheel in a GT3-class Ford Mustang, while Marcus Ericsson pilots a Lamborghini Huracán GT3. Former F1 drivers racing competing in the 2026 Daytona 24 Hours

Official: 2026 Daytona 24 Hours entry list
racingnews365.com·

Official: 2026 Daytona 24 Hours entry list

The official 60-car entry list for the 64th running of the Rolex 24 – the Daytona 24 Hours – has been revealed ahead of the race at Daytona International Speedway this weekend. The 2026 edition of the IMSA endurance race will take place across January 22–25, featuring 11 GTP cars, 14 LMP2s, 15 GTD Pros and 21 GTDs. Qualifying gets underway on Thursday, with the race starting on Saturday. It will represent Porsche Penske Motorsport's first race since axing its WEC programme, with the team set to run a two-car entry for the Rolex 24. Aston Martin will also mark its presence in the top GTP class, with one Valkyrie to be run by Aston Martin THOR Team. Several drivers from the world of F1 will compete, including Kevin Magnussen, Romain Grosjean and Logan Sargeant, among others.  New Formula 2 and Cadillac test driver Colton Herta will also be competing, as will reigning IndyCar champion Alex Palou and current Formula E championship leader Nick Cassidy. Check out the full entry list for each class below! 2026 Daytona 24 Hours - GTP 2026 Daytona 24 Hours - LMP2 2026 Daytona 24 Hours - GTD PRO 2026 Daytona 24 Hours - GTD

Former Williams F1 driver Logan Sargeant is back – for two IMSA events this season
motorsport.com

Former Williams F1 driver Logan Sargeant is back – for two IMSA events this season

Former F1 driver Logan Sargeant is making a surprise return to prototype racing in the IMSA SportsCar Championship, six months after a mysterious split from IDEC Sport Racing and the Hyundai Genesis team. The 24-year-old American will contest the final two endurance rounds of the season with PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports, driving the #52 Oreca 07-Gibson. His schedule includes the six-hour race ...Keep reading

Former Williams F1 driver Logan Sargeant is back – for two IMSA events this season
motorsport.com

Former Williams F1 driver Logan Sargeant is back – for two IMSA events this season

Former F1 driver Logan Sargeant is making a surprise return to prototype racing in the IMSA SportsCar Championship, six months after a mysterious split from IDEC Sport Racing and the Hyundai Genesis team. The 24-year-old American will contest the final two endurance rounds of the season with PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports, driving the #52 Oreca 07-Gibson. His schedule includes the six-hour race ...Keep reading