Autosport

It was hard to decide on the angle for this week’s Autosport cover. On the one hand, Lando Norris put in one of the most dominant non-Red Bull Formula 1 performances we’ve seen for a long time in the Singapore Grand Prix (see page 14). But, on the other, Max Verstappen (with a little help from Daniel Ricciardo’s fastest lap) minimised the points loss to seven and remains a chunky 52 ahead. In the end, we went for the ‘dream is still on’ approach, partly because that tallies with McLaren team principal Andrea Stella’s attitude, and partly because the situation seems to sit neatly between Norris having a realistic title chance and merely a mathematical one. McLaren will be encouraged that the MCL38 remained the pacesetter despite the requirement for its clever…

FORMULA 1 Reigning Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen has warned that his FIA punishment for swearing in a Singapore Grand Prix press conference could mean he quits the series earlier than planned. Verstappen was handed a community service punishment last weekend in Singapore by the FIA for describing his Red Bull car’s behaviour as f***** in Baku during the official Thursday press conference. The punishment comes against the backdrop of a fresh crackdown by FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem on drivers using swear words while on air, telling Autosport in an exclusive interview that he has asked F1 to further limit swear words making it into TV broadcasts, something the series is already doing. “We are the ones who actually approved more [radio] talk,” Ben Sulayem said. “But the rules are there…

FORMULA 1 Plans to hold a Formula 1 rookie sprint race after the Abu Dhabi season finale are on course to get the green light next month, Autosport has learned. F1 is looking to hold the race as part of the Yas Marina post-season test, with the aim of giving young drivers more opportunities to gain mileage in current F1 cars. The idea gathered widespread support and it was decided that the matter should be taken on for evaluation by sporting directors to better understand whether it could be realised in regulatory terms. Following a recent meeting of F1’s Sporting Advisory Committee to consider the wider rule implications of the test, the conclusion was that the proposal was realistic. Multiple senior sources have now indicated that the plans for the sprint are moving…

WEC Peugeot is not ruling out more upgrades for its 9X8 Le Mans Hypercar World Endurance Championship contender despite the radical overhaul of the design that came on stream at Imola in April. No decision is made, but that could come before the end of the season. Peugeot Sport technical director Olivier Jansonnie stressed that extracting the most from the 9X8 2024 version of the car, which took its best result of the season with fourth in the Fuji 6 Hours earlier this month, will be the first priority. “Right now we are looking at various things: we have evaluated and started to pinpoint so many things on the car,” said Jansonnie. “Part of that is for sure set-up, and once we have a clear picture of what we cannot cure with set-up,…

FORMULA E Formula 2 race winner Zane Maloney is to join the Abt Formula E team to compete in the 2024-25 season. The 20-year-old from Barbados will make his debut in the championship in Sao Paulo on 7 December but already has experience of FE machinery from several rookie tests for Andretti over the past two years. Maloney sits third in the F2 standings with Rodin Motorsport but, with the finale in Yas Marina clashing with the FE opener, he will now miss the final two rounds. He has already tested both the new Gen3 Evo machine as well as the first Lola/Yamaha powertrain ahead of pre-season testing in Valencia on 4-7 November. “I’m really looking forward to the challenge, it’s a great opportunity to join Abt, Lola and Yamaha in this new journey…

AUSTRALIAN SUPERCARS Toyota will join the grid in Australia’s Supercars series in 2026 with Walkinshaw Andretti United racing the GR Supra. There will be four of the Japanese coupes on the grid: two with WAU, which is currently running a pair of Ford Mustangs for Chaz Mostert and Ryan Wood, and two with a team to be announced. Toyota, the long-time market leader in Australia, has made a five-year commitment to the category. Development of the new car is already under way at Toyota Australia’s Melbourne base. It will feature an engine based on the 2UR-GSE – an all-aluminium, quad-cam V8 – rather than the in-line six cylinder motor that comes fitted to the road-going Supra. “At Toyota, we have been toying with the idea of competing in Supercars for more than 20…