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Ollie Bearman hailed as "class act" after emotional Ayrton Senna Lotus drive
motorsport.com·

Ollie Bearman hailed as "class act" after emotional Ayrton Senna Lotus drive

British Formula 1 driver Ollie Bearman has been praised by fans and branded an all-round "class act" after an emotional run in Ayrton Senna's legendary 1985 Lotus.  The 21-year-old was invited to drive the famous black-and-gold Lotus 97T around the Silverstone circuit alongside former F1 driver and Sky Sports analyst Karun Chandhok. For Bearman, stepping into the cockpit of the car that ...Keep reading

Ex-McLaren driver beats Audi F1 junior to championship title
racingnews365.com·

Ex-McLaren driver beats Audi F1 junior to championship title

Former McLaren F1 junior driver Ugo Ugochukwu has claimed title victory at the Formula Regional Oceania Championship. The American driver beat newly announced Audi junior Freddie Slater to the title at the final round at Highlands Motorsport Park. The four-round championship got underway in early January and also saw the single-seater debut of WRC champion Kalle Rovapera, who is preparing for a campaign in Super Formula this year. Ugochukwu won four races across the campaign and claimed an additional two podiums en route to the title. The 21-year-old was long part of the McLaren junior programme having signed a long-term deal several years ago, but departed the scheme last November. Nevertheless, his 2026 racing season got off to the best possible start as he claimed the championship title, joining fellow title-winners such as Lando Norris, Lance Stroll, Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad. “It's an amazing feeling, to cross the line,” he said. “The race felt way longer than usual, but just happy to get it done, get it over with. “It's been a really good campaign, a really good season. I can't thank the whole team enough. “They did a mega job all year, I'm happier for them than me. Just a big thanks to them for putting their trust in me this season.” Slater ended the campaign 15 points down on Ugochukwu, just one week after the Briton was announced as Audi's first junior F1 driver. Ugochukwu and Slater will both race in the Formula 3 championship this year for Campos and Trident, respectively.

Isack Hadjar suffers first Red Bull F1 crash
racingnews365.com·

Isack Hadjar suffers first Red Bull F1 crash

Isack Hadjar is believed to have suffered his first crash as a Red Bull Formula 1 driver during the final hour of running on the second day of Barcelona testing. Red Bull is the only team to have run on both days of testing so far at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, with Max Verstappen having driven the RB22 on Tuesday morning. Within the opening minutes, the Dutchman triggered a red flag after sliding into the gravel; however, he safely returned to the Red Bull garage. He handed the RB22 over to Hadjar for Tuesday's afternoon session, which is the Frenchman's final running in the car after having driven in both sessions on Monday. In the wet conditions that persisted for much of the second day, Hadjar is believed to have crashed at Turn 14, just shy of the final 30 minutes of track action. Images quickly circulated on social media of Hadjar's car being recovered by marshals, bringing what had been a very promising day and a half of running to an end for the 21-year-old.

Gabriel Bortoleto reveals 'useless' feeling as Audi preparations ramp up
racingnews365.com·

Gabriel Bortoleto reveals 'useless' feeling as Audi preparations ramp up

Gabriel Bortoleto has revealed he started to feel "useless" during Formula 1’s short winter break, as Audi’s preparations ramp up ahead of its debut. The Brazilian joined Sauber last season on a multi-year contract, with the 2024 Formula 2 champion viewed as a significant part of Audi’s future. He made strong strides during his rookie campaign, although the arrival of Audi has long been seen as Bortoleto’s opportunity to truly show his value. With three separate tests scheduled ahead of the F1 season opener in Australia, all 22 drivers were given an incredibly short winter break. For Bortoleto, even that proved too long, with the youngster eager to continue working with Audi ahead of its first season in the championship. Asked if he had time to reset, Bortoleto told select media, including RacingNews365 , at Audi’s launch: "It’s only my second season in F1. If I could, I wouldn’t even have a winter break. So for me, yeah, it was nice to spend a bit of time with family. "But I feel like after five days at home, I was already feeling a bit useless, that I was away from the factory and the team. And I was like, 'I want to go back. I want to start it again.'" Throughout the short winter break, simulator driving—both at home and at Audi’s factory—was something Bortoleto invested significant time in. The 21-year-old has always been a regular simulator driver at home, but he has ensured that not a single day was wasted preparing himself for the new power unit regulations. When asked how much time he had spent in the simulator, he added: "Oh, a lot. How many days? It’s difficult to say. Since last year, obviously we had a shutdown break. At home, I was in the sim every day. "But since I came back [on January 6], I think I did five days already, something like that. So obviously, a lot of events in between this. "So far, I haven’t really stopped much at home, but every time I can and I have free time to go to the team and work, I’m there."