Sports news
#South #Korea #unveils #plan #bring #Formula">South Korea unveils plan to bring back Formula One South Korea wants to host a Formula One race for the first time since 2013 after unveiling a new circuit design that officials say is financially viable.
The plan would see races held on a five-kilometre street circuit in the city of Incheon, just outside the capital Seoul.
The Korean Grand Prix was part of the Formula One calendar at a different circuit in the south of the country from 2010 but was axed after three years because of costs and tepid interest locally.
Incheon city officials said on Thursday their new plan can bring in money, and they hope to draw up to 400,000 visitors over the three-day race weekend.
Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok told reporters they are aiming to stage the first race in 2028.
The track design was developed after looking at street circuits in Singapore and Las Vegas.
“It is possible to link the F1 Grand Prix, which has developed into a form of entertainment, with K-culture,” the plan says.
“We expect to hold various cultural performances, such as inviting world-famous artists, to elevate Incheon’s cultural and tourism infrastructure to a world-class standard.”
Formula One currently holds races in 24 locations around the world, including China, Japan and Singapore.
Vietnam was set to stage a race in 2020, but the event was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic and has not appeared on the calendar since.
Thailand last year approved a bid to host a race there.
F1 did not immediately reply to a request for comment on South Korea’s plans.
Published on Apr 17, 2026
South Korea wants to host a Formula One race for the first time since 2013…
Sports news
#Indian #racing #wonderkid #Atiqa #Mir #topranked #female #FIA #International #Kart #Ranking">Indian racing wonderkid Atiqa Mir is now top-ranked female in FIA International Kart Ranking
Indian racing prodigy Atiqa Mir has emerged as the highest-ranked female in the latest FIA International Kart Ranking (IKR) in her category.
The 11-year-old is placed in seventh overall position in the International OK-NJ class (age 12-14), making her the highest-ranked female racer in the rankings calculated by the motorsport’s world governing body, the FIA. Zoltan Coigny of Switzerland leads the rankings.
Atiqa, the first Indian to be supported by the Formula 1 Academy, was fast-tracked into the junior category (age 12-14) from the mini class (8-12) at the start of 2026 considering her special talent.
She repaid the immense faith shown by her backers by bagging a historic podium in the opening round of the Champions of the Future Academy (COTFA) series in Valencia last month.
READ: Over 20,000 volunteers behind organising F1 2025 season: FIA report
Her father, Asif Mir, who was India’s first national karting champion, is pleased with his daughter’s rapid rise in the world of motorsport without losing sight of the ultimate goal—reaching Formula 1—with no female having raced there since 1992.
“Atiqa has reached a big milestone in her career due to her hard work and support from everyone involved in her journey. It is a proud moment for India. She needs to keep working hard and improving; it is a moving target. There is a famous saying in racing, ‘If you sit still, you are moving backwards,’” said Asif.
Last month, Atiqa capped off a successful campaign in the WSK Super Master Series with a commendable eighth-place finish out of 53 drivers in the final round at Franciacorta.
After a welcome break of two weeks, she is back testing in Lonato this weekend ahead of WSK Euro Round 2 at the same circuit the following week.
Published on Apr 11, 2026
Indian racing prodigy Atiqa Mir has emerged as the highest-ranked female in the latest FIA International Kart Ranking (IKR) in her category.
The 11-year-old is placed in seventh overall position in the International OK-NJ class (age 12-14), making her the highest-ranked female racer in the rankings calculated by the motorsport’s world governing body, the FIA. Zoltan Coigny of Switzerland leads the rankings.
Atiqa, the first Indian to be supported by the Formula 1 Academy, was fast-tracked into the junior category (age 12-14) from the mini class (8-12) at the start of 2026 considering her special talent.
She repaid the immense faith shown by her backers by bagging a historic podium in the opening round of the Champions of the Future Academy (COTFA) series in Valencia last month.
READ: Over 20,000 volunteers behind organising F1 2025 season: FIA report
Her father, Asif Mir, who was India’s first national karting champion, is pleased with his daughter’s rapid rise in the world of motorsport without losing sight of the ultimate goal—reaching Formula 1—with no female having raced there since 1992.
“Atiqa has reached a big milestone in her career due to her hard work and support from everyone involved in her journey. It is a proud moment for India. She needs to keep working hard and improving; it is a moving target. There is a famous saying in racing, ‘If you sit still, you are moving backwards,’” said Asif.
Last month, Atiqa capped off a successful campaign in the WSK Super Master Series with a commendable eighth-place finish out of 53 drivers in the final round at Franciacorta.
After a welcome break of two weeks, she is back testing in Lonato this weekend ahead of WSK Euro Round 2 at the same circuit the following week.
Published on Apr 11, 2026
Indian racing prodigy Atiqa Mir has emerged as the highest-ranked female in the latest FIA…
Sports news
#Verstappens #race #engineer #Lambiase #leave #Red #Bull #McLaren">Verstappen’s race engineer Lambiase to leave Red Bull for McLaren
Max Verstappen’s long-time Formula One race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase is to leave Red Bull and join McLaren in a supporting role to team principal Andrea Stella.
There was no immediate comment from either team on Thursday, but senior insiders confirmed the move, first reported in Dutch media, to Reuters.
The news was also reported by the BBC and Sky Sports, with 2028 given as the likely start date for a man who has been working with Verstappen since 2016 and has played a key role in helping the Dutch driver to four world championships.
Lambiase, 45, had also been linked with Silverstone-based Aston Martin, whose team principal is former Red Bull star designer Adrian Newey.
Stella set to stay as Principal
While Aston Martin has endured a nightmare start to the season, struggling to even finish races with an uncompetitive Honda engine, McLaren won both titles last year with champion Lando Norris and teammate Oscar Piastri.
Lambiase is expected to become head of race engineering at McLaren once a potentially long period of ‘gardening leave’ comes to an end, with former Ferrari engineer Stella continuing in his position.
Stella, who worked with Michael Schumacher in a golden era at Ferrari in the early 2000s, has a multi-year contract with McLaren and no intention of returning to Maranello despite some media speculation about his future.
The close but forthright relationship between Verstappen and ‘GP’ over the team radio has become a familiar part of Formula One, similar to the pairing of Lewis Hamilton and Peter ‘Bono’ Bonnington during the seven-time world champion’s spell at Mercedes.
Former Red Bull boss Christian Horner, fired last July, once compared the relationship to that of “an old married couple arguing about what to watch on television.
READ: F1 technical heads to meet, discuss new engine rules
“The dynamic between the two is so intense that in between you have to ask yourself who is supposed to be the driver and who is supposed to be the engineer here.”
Losing the Briton will be a blow to Verstappen after the departure of other important figures in recent seasons and once-dominant Red Bull’s waning performance on track, but the 28-year-old has also increasingly cast doubt on his own longevity in the sport.
“I’m thinking about everything inside this paddock,” he said in Japan last month.
Verstappen is no fan of the sport’s new engine era and rules that force drivers to manage energy deployment and take corners at less than full speed.
In 2021, when they won a first title together, the Dutchman went so far as to say that he would not continue without Lambiase.
“I have said to him I only work with him. As soon as he stops, I stop too,” he told Dutch broadcaster Ziggo Sport. “We can be pretty strict with each other sometimes, but I want that. He has to tell me when I’m being a jerk, and I have to tell him.”
McLaren already has former Red Bull employees Rob Marshall and Will Courtenay in senior roles as chief designer and sporting director, respectively.
Published on Apr 09, 2026
Max Verstappen’s long-time Formula One race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase is to leave Red Bull and join McLaren in a supporting role to team principal Andrea Stella.
There was no immediate comment from either team on Thursday, but senior insiders confirmed the move, first reported in Dutch media, to Reuters.
The news was also reported by the BBC and Sky Sports, with 2028 given as the likely start date for a man who has been working with Verstappen since 2016 and has played a key role in helping the Dutch driver to four world championships.
Lambiase, 45, had also been linked with Silverstone-based Aston Martin, whose team principal is former Red Bull star designer Adrian Newey.
Stella set to stay as Principal
While Aston Martin has endured a nightmare start to the season, struggling to even finish races with an uncompetitive Honda engine, McLaren won both titles last year with champion Lando Norris and teammate Oscar Piastri.
Lambiase is expected to become head of race engineering at McLaren once a potentially long period of ‘gardening leave’ comes to an end, with former Ferrari engineer Stella continuing in his position.
Stella, who worked with Michael Schumacher in a golden era at Ferrari in the early 2000s, has a multi-year contract with McLaren and no intention of returning to Maranello despite some media speculation about his future.
The close but forthright relationship between Verstappen and ‘GP’ over the team radio has become a familiar part of Formula One, similar to the pairing of Lewis Hamilton and Peter ‘Bono’ Bonnington during the seven-time world champion’s spell at Mercedes.
Former Red Bull boss Christian Horner, fired last July, once compared the relationship to that of “an old married couple arguing about what to watch on television.
READ: F1 technical heads to meet, discuss new engine rules
“The dynamic between the two is so intense that in between you have to ask yourself who is supposed to be the driver and who is supposed to be the engineer here.”
Losing the Briton will be a blow to Verstappen after the departure of other important figures in recent seasons and once-dominant Red Bull’s waning performance on track, but the 28-year-old has also increasingly cast doubt on his own longevity in the sport.
“I’m thinking about everything inside this paddock,” he said in Japan last month.
Verstappen is no fan of the sport’s new engine era and rules that force drivers to manage energy deployment and take corners at less than full speed.
In 2021, when they won a first title together, the Dutchman went so far as to say that he would not continue without Lambiase.
“I have said to him I only work with him. As soon as he stops, I stop too,” he told Dutch broadcaster Ziggo Sport. “We can be pretty strict with each other sometimes, but I want that. He has to tell me when I’m being a jerk, and I have to tell him.”
McLaren already has former Red Bull employees Rob Marshall and Will Courtenay in senior roles as chief designer and sporting director, respectively.
Published on Apr 09, 2026
Max Verstappen’s long-time Formula One race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase is to leave Red Bull and…