Motorsport Roundup: Formula E New York E-Prix, Peugeot’s Hypercar Challenger, And F1 And MotoGP Calendar Changes

It may have been a calm last seven days in motorsport, but there were plenty of topics that made headlines. Formula E had a double-header at the New York E-Prix, followed by a couple of reveals for the future in WEC and WRC. In other news, the COVID-19 pandemic continued to keep the 2021 Formula One and MotoGP racing calendars in a state of flux with more changes announced. Here’s all about it:

Formula E

 

The 2021 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship continued at the 10th and 11th rounds of the season in New York,USA. In the first race, it looked like the Envision Virgin Racing of Nick Cassidy looked set for his maiden win. But an incident with two-time champion, Jean Eric Vergne towards the end of the race led to the BMW Andretti of Maximilian Gunther snatching the lead to take his first win of the season. Vergne followed him home in second place for DS Techeetah , with Audi’s Lucas Di Grassi rounding off the podium.

In the second race, polesitter Sam Bird drove a controlled race to take the win for Jaguar. It could’ve been a Jaguar 1-2 finish, but teammate Mitch Evans hit the wall, breaking the left rear suspension that dropped him down to 13th place in the end. Joining Bird on the podium was Envision Virgin Racing’s Nick Cassidy in second, and the DS Techeetah of Antonio Felix da Costa in third position.  

In the title race, Sam Bird took the lead in the drivers' standings, five points ahead of Da Costa. In the teams' standings, Envision Virgin Racing now leads DS Techeetah by just two points with only four more rounds to go.

WEC 

Get latest updates on
the automobile community

Login Now

This week saw Peugeot finally take the wraps off the radical 9X8 hypercar that will compete in the LeMans hypercar category at the 2022 FIA World Endurance Championship. It boasts bonkers aerodynamics, and will be powered by a 2.6-litre twin-turbo V6 engine, combined with a 200kW front-axle electric motor. The driver lineup will comprise ex-F1 drivers Kevin Magnussen, Jean Eric Vergne, Paul di Resta, Loïc Duval, Mikkel Jensen and Gustavo Menezes. 

WRC

The Goodwood Festival Of Speed saw M-Sport Ford become the first team to unveil its new hybrid challenger that will compete in the 2022 FIA World Rally Championship season. Based on the Puma road car, it will be powered by a 1.6-litre turbocharged EcoBoost petrol engine combined with a 100kW electric motor and a 3.9 kWh battery. The team has yet to finalise a driver lineup for the upcoming season.

Formula One 

The 2021 Australian Grand Prix, scheduled from November 19-21 at Albert Park in Melbourne, has been called off due to the pandemic-related travel restrictions. While this currently leaves the 2021 F1 calendar down to a 22-race season, reports suggest a return to Bahrain may be on the cards to replace the vacant slot. 

 

This week also saw the demise of Carlos Reutemann at the age of 79. The Argentine racer, arguably one of the best racers to never win an F1 title, raced for Brabham, Ferrari, and Williams. He racked up 12 Grands Prix victories over a 146-race career from 1972 to 1982.

MotoGP

MotoGP also had to call off the Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island that was initially scheduled on October 24. This reshuffles the 2021 calendar, with Malaysia now preponed and Portimo returning to the calendar on November 7. 

Next week, we will see the return of Formula 1 racing in the British Grand Prix in Silverstone. The sprint qualifying format will make its debut as well. Formula 2 will also return alongside F1, with Carlin’s Jehan Daruvala striving for the title race.