Waving goodbye to F1?
A quiet weekend for motorsport after last week’s season finale in BTCC. We’ll take this opportunity to have a quick breather and catch up on some of the latest news and rumours from across Formula 1, plus a look at some motorsport news.
Jenson Button may leave Formula One for the world endurance championship should he lose his seat at Mclaren. Rumours are spreading that Mclaren are after Fernando Alonso to fill one seat in their team, hoping they could tempt him to join their team instead of taking a year out with the hope of a Mercedes seat for the 2016 season. Mclaren are the last Formula 1 team to finalise their line up for next year, and the speculation has led Button to look elsewhere in case he is dropped. It is believed the Porsche racing team are keen to take Button onboard as part of their World Endurance Championship racing team. Button would be following in the footsteps of Mark Webber who raced for Porsche in the Le Mans 24 Hour race after leaving F1 last year.
Meanwhile, Jules Bianchi remains in a critical condition in hospital following the horrific crash in Japan. Exact details of his status have not been released. His father spoke to the press yesterday saying that his son is in a “desperate” condition. The young French driver continues to see support from his fellow drivers.
#ForzaJules — Daniel Ricciardo (@danielricciardo) October 18, 2014
Tony Fernandes has confirmed the sale of the GP2 Caterham racing team to Status Grand Prix from GP3. Fernandes has sold the team in a bid to improve driver development.
“It became clear to me some time ago that, without Caterham F1, we should seek affiliation with a GP3 team to create a more effective ladder for young drivers who aspire to Formula One,” said Fernandes. “Following in-depth discussions with Status Grand Prix, we have reached an agreement that will strengthen and secure the future of the GP2 team.”
The team will continue to race under the Caterham name for the remainder of the 2014 season, before changing to Status GP for 2015.
Over at the Talladega Superspeedway in the USA, the Nascar Sprint Cup is reaching the business end of the season. Drivers Brad Keselowski, Jimmie Johnson, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. needed a win to keep their title hopes alive. When the dust settled, Keselowski had claimed victory keeping his title hopes alive but sending the others out of the chase. Fans of Nascar were pleased to see the action back on the track, following last weekend’s bust up after the race between Keselowski and Denny Hamlin.
I made a few too many moves today that shuffled us back. Should have been more patient. Proud of how we ran most the race though.
— Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) October 19, 2014
The race was certainly action packed, with Earnhardt Jr and Kyle Busch both suffering big hits that effectively knocked them out of the running. Jimmie Johnson was in a good race position before a safety stoppage he didn’t see sent him back into ninth position. In the end Keselowski came out on top and wins automatic entry into the Elimination round.
Still can't believe it. What a day! Shout out to all on the #2crew and all those who support us.
— Brad Keselowski (@keselowski) October 20, 2014
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