Audi name Allan McNish as new race director

Former Formula 1 driver Allan McNish has been named racing director of the Audi F1 team. The move follows the departure of Jonathan Wheatley as team principal last month. McNish, 56, is a long-time Audi employee who has had a role advising the company’s board for many years. The Scot has been involved in the German company’s F1 project since its inception.

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Formula 1 to return to Turkey from 2027

The Turkish Grand Prix will return to the Formula 1 calendar in 2027 for the first time in six years. The event will run on the Istanbul Park circuit until at least 2031. The track is where Lewis Hamilton clinched his record-equalling seventh world drivers’ title in 2020. Turkey held a grand prix from 2005 to 2011 before dropping off the schedule, alhough it returned for two years in 2020-21 when F1 needed venues to fill the calendar during the Covid-19 pandemic.

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Gianpiero Lambiase to leave Red Bull for McLaren

Leading Red Bull engineer Gianpiero Lambiase has agreed to join McLaren from 2028. The team said the Briton, who is most well known for being Max Verstappen’s race engineer, will become McLaren’s chief racing officer, reporting into team principal Andrea Stella. A statement said: “The role of the chief racing officer already exists within the team’s structure with overall leadership of the race team.

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Antonelli takes championship lead with victory in Japan

Kimi Antonelli took his second win in succession becoming the youngest driver to lead the World Championship in the process with victory in Japan ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc. The young Italian benefited from a safety car allowing him to pit and retain the lead with his teammate George Russell left frustrated with a fourth place finish ahead of reigning champion Lando Norris. Lewis Hamilton finished sixth while Alpine’s Pierre Gasly held off the Red Bull of Max Verstappen for a respectable P7 finish at Suzuka.

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Antonelli beats teammate Russell to pole in Japan

Kimi Antonelli took his second pole position in a row as he beat Mercedes team-mate George Russell in qualifying at the Japanese Grand Prix. Antonelli was fastest throughout the session and beat Russell by 0.298 seconds, despite not improving on his final run at Suzuka. Russell also did not improve but still had enough to beat McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, who will be joined on the second row by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. McLaren’s Lando Norris was fifth after a troubled weekend so far, ahead of Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari, while Max Verstappen was knocked out in the second session and will start 11th.

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