Motorsport

Motorsport Network has appointed former Goal Global Editor in Chief James Dickens as its new VP of Editorial.

In his previous role, Dickens oversaw the global publisher’s content strategy, targeting a worldwide audience of football fans with a focus on the biggest players, teams and competitions. He joined Goal in 2018, having previously been Head of Sport at Yahoo.

Tata Communications and Formula 1 have confirmed that the pair’s eight-year partnership came to an end on 31st December.

The telecommunications company became a Formula 1 partner in 2012 as part of a deal which saw it use and promote its technology as the motorsport series’ Official Connectivity Partner. 

The W Series will feature on the Formula 1 support-race bill for the first time, delivering two new races alongside F1 in 2020.

The all-female single seater motorsport series will stage races at the USA and Mexico F1 Grand Prixs, with W Series races taking place on the Saturdays of both meetings.

Across the final two weekends in the W Series calendar, the newly-announced events will be the culmination to the series’ second year. The 2020 season will take drivers to eight races across Europe and the Americas.

The W Series has announced the signing of its first major multi-year partnership with ROKiT Phones.

The global telecoms brand has agreed a deal which will see its branding on all 20 cars as well as all 20 drivers’ overalls ahead of the 2020 season.

ROKiT’s motorsport sponsorship portfolio already includes title sponsorship of teams across Formula 1 and Formula E as well as entrants in the British Touring Car Championship. The ROKiT Williams Racing Formula 1 team and the ROKiT Venturi Racing Formula E team both bear the brand’s name.

The sixth season of Formula E will return to the BBC, with every race available online and two races shown live on terrestrial channels.

The free-to-air broadcaster will show both the Marrakesh E-Prix in February and the Rome E-Prix on 4th April on a network TV channel, with all of the other ten races streamed on the BBC Sport website as well as on iPlayer. Formula E also says select races will be available on the BBC Red Button service.

Extreme E, the off-road electric SUV series created by Formula E President Alejandro Agag, has announced Nepal’s Mustang District in the Himalayas as the fourth event in its new five-event calendar.

The Mustang District - which reaches 2,750m above sea level - means cars and drivers will not only have to deal with altitude, but also rocky terrain and rivers. The route sees the championship head to the Kali Gandaki valley, the site of the deepest gorge in the world.

Formula 1 has announced plans to have a net-zero carbon footprint by 2030, as well as ensuring all events are entirely sustainable by 2025.

The motorsport series says the plan comes as a result of a 12-month process which has involved the FIA, sustainability experts, Formula 1 teams, promoters, and partners and will see carbon reduction projects begin straight away,

“Something was broken in motorsport," said Catherine Bond Muir at the final Sport Industry Breakfast Club of 2019.

Formula 1 has announced new regulations to come into effect for the 2021 season with new technical and financial rules aiming to make the sport more dramatic on the track.

Presented by F1 CEO Chase Carey and FIA President Jean Todt ahead of the US Grand Prix, the rules - which were unanimously approved by the World Motor Sport Council - will bring a new cost-cap of $175m per season to promote fairness and economic sustainability and also change the design of the cars (pictured) to reduce aerodynamic downforce.

CEO Catherine Bond Muir and W Series champion Jamie Chadwick to headline final #SIBC of 2019