Heroics Into Saint Devote

Welcome back to the weekly newsletter! Where we cover the big news in motorsport around the world in just a few minutes. This week we’ve got Indycar, with the Indy 500 taking place this weekend. As well as that, we’ve got FIA Rule Changes, rumours of team boss futures, new faces in the FIA, as well as a dive into the Ferrari 499P and its WEC record.

Indycar Qualifying.

So the qualifying for the Indy 500 was yesterday at the time of writing this. And it’s somebody barely known on the pole for the historic race. The polesitter for the greatest spectacle in motorsport in none other than Robert Shwartzman. “Who’s that?” I hear you ask. Well Robert Shwartzman is an Israeli racing driver, best known for winning the Formula 3 championship in 2019. He also served as a reserve driver for Scuderia Ferrari from 2021 through to 2024. He also took a handful of podiums and wins in 2020 and 2021 in Formula 2, with a season best result of Second, behind Mclaren Driver Oscar Piastri. But now he’s applying his trade with Indycar newcomer PREMA Racing, with the rookie outfit taking a surprising and stunning pole position for the 33-car grid this weekend at the Indiannapolis Motor Speedway, for the first time since 1984.

Both Josef Newgarden and Will Power were thrown to the back of the grid after qualifying after scrutineers discovered the Penske team had ‘modified attenuators’. But in addition to being disqualified, both strategists for the number 2 and 12 cars have been suspended for the remainder of the event, as well as $100,000 fines for both cars and a forfeit of the qualifying points scored. Curiously however, Scott Dixon has escaped any punishment and his car has passed scrutineering, despite also being a Penske car. It does however, give an exciting prospect for the 3-hour race.

Also taking part in the Indy 500 is NASCAR Champion and current Cup Championship leader Kyle Larson. Larson usually drives the #5 for Hendrick Motorsports in the cup series, but has also been applying his trade in other series, not limited to the XFINITY and Craftsman Truck Series. But Larson was subject to criticism not too long ago after he claim her was ‘better than Max Verstappen’. His quote was “I know in my mind I’m better than him [Verstappen] as an all-round driver.” He went on to say “There’s no way he can get into a Sprint Car and win the Knoxville Nationals. There’s no way he can go win the Chili Bowl. There’s no way he can go win a Cup race at Bristol.”

Verstappen however, ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix last year, Verstappen didn’t even bother to entertain the debate from Larson, saying he “knew and respected Kyle” but went on to say “there’s no chance.” It does spark debate however. Oval racing, NASCAR and Sprint Cars are a very different set of skills to Formula One. But Verstappen doesn’t only race Formula One. On his days off, he spends alot of time streaming on media platform Twitch as he plays iRacing, a subsciption-based Sim-Racing game, hailed for it’s realism. And obviously, Franz Hermann also had a go at the Nurburgring recently.

But I digress. Larson, like last year, is planning to compete in the Indy 500 in Indycar, but also the Coca-Cola 600. Unfortunately, both races fall on the same day, so it would be a mean feat by Larson. He also attempted this challenge last year, and was granted a waiver by NASCAR officials for missing the start of the Coca-Cola 600 without having play-off ramifications. NASCAR however, rewrote the rule in the off-season meaning Larson may not be handed a waiver this year, should the Indy 500 be delayed like last year.

FIA Rule Changes.

Last week, the FIA announced that they have amended Appendix B of the International Sporting Code. The changes have been implemented dictate the maximum base fine to be imposed on drivers . What was €10,000 has been reduced by 50% and now is €5,000. But with the reduction in financial penalty, the FIA have also stipulated that drivers can be handed a sporting penalty from the stewards if they deem their actions to be worthy of such. The amendments also define the difference between ‘controlled’ and ‘uncontrolled’ environments. Places like press conferences have been deemed as controlled environments, but during events when the driver is in the car is deemed an uncontrolled environment. In the FIA’s announcement, they state it “brings the organisation in line with the like of FIFA, NFL and Rugby.” This is bizarre to me as they’re very different environments, very different sports too. They have also introduced more measures for the ‘protection of officals’ meaning the Stewards are now immune from criticism from drivers, teams and employees.

No more than a week after the FIA announced tweaks to the rules around driver’s language and attitude, Bin Sulayem, FIA President, is digging himself into another hole right after partially filling in the first. The proposed amendments by Ben Sulayem bring forward the deadline for candidates to announce their running for the Presidential Vote in December. These proposals will be voted upon by the council at the FIA General Assembly in June. It seems the aim of these amendments is to bar any other candidate from challenging Ben Sulayem for control over the FIA senate. It’s all very political, and a little to political for me.

New Faces in the FIA?

It was revealed recently that father of 7-time world champion and British Touring Car Driver, Anthony Hamilton, is expected to be given an offical role within the FIA for the Young Driver Programme. It was revealed that Hamilton had and remains to be, working closely alongside Ben Sulayem and aiding the development of young talent through the FIA’s driving ranks. Now part of me feels this would represent a conflict of interest, however, after delaying writing this, I’ve decided it is not a conflict of interest. Unless Lewis Hamilton was to randomly have a child that he put into FIA karting, no eyebrows can be raised. And after the controversy that befell the Wolff family after Susie Wolff was accused of sharing FIA secrets with husband and Mercedes F1 Team Boss Toto Wolff, it seems conflict of interest cases within the FIA are a touchy subject.

The Ferrari 499P – The Machine Behind the Headlines.

The Ferrari 499P. Winner of two consecutive 24 Hours of Le Mans races in 2023 and 2024, and eyeing a ‘three-peat’ in 2025 and current championship leader in WEC. Since it’s debut in 2023, the 499P has been immensely competitive in the WEC Hypercar field. On debut, it secured pole ahead of the pair of Toyotas. It took it’s maiden podium on debut, 2 laps down from the other-worldly Toyotas at Sebring, and went on to take a few others across the season, to finish second to Toyota. Whilst it was the 50 car that took the early glory, it was the 51 that took the headlines of the season after a triumphant win at Le Mans. Since then, in 2024, a third 499P was introduced under the guise of Af Corse, which wears a different colour scheme to the regular Ferrari red. The third, 83 car is yellow, and fits right in to the Hypercar paddock, taking victory in it’s first season at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.

In 2025, we have not had a race without a 499P win, and the 51 car is yet to finish outside the podium this year, taking 2 wins on the bounce in Imola and Spa. But what makes this machine so potent? With a carbon fibre monocoque and a double-wishbone, pushrod suspension setup, the 499P presents a solid, but also very adjustable basis for it’s racecar. Powered by a Ferrari Tipo F163 3-litre twin-turbocharged 120-Degree V6 hybrid powerhouse, the car also boasts a total of 939 thoroughbred Italian horsepower, with 671HP coming from the engine, and 268HP coming from the 200KW electric motor mounted on the front axle. And with this much power and the weight of the car being barely over a ton (1,030kg), it gives the car a scary power:weight ratio. But also, it’s reported that every component of the 499P’s engine has been strategically structed to bear the load that the car demands, making the engine an integral part of the chassis of the car. The Ferrari also introduces a 4-Wheel-Drive system above 190 kilometres per hour, which is in line with the FIA’s regulations for the WEC. This also aids the car in the sense that it limits tyre wear. The 499P also has a groundbreaking ERS system which works in tandem with the brakes when braking, but also aids acceleration out of the corners.

But why is it so potent? I can’t tell you for sure, but It’s clear that even with a harsh Balance of Performance (BoP) penalty for Spa, the car still reigned supreme in the Arden Forest. But it’s clear to anybody with half a mind, the car is clearly the class of the field, and I just like talking about it.

That’s all I’ve got for you today folks. Have a great week and don’t forget to tune into the Indy 500 this weekend!