FORMULA 1
 Photo Credit Extreme E
JBXE Racing have just confirmed that Kevin Hansen,Brother of Timmy Hansen of Andretti United, will be taking Jenson Button's seat at the Extreme E Ocean X Prix in Dakar. Kevin Hansen is a rally-cross driver who joined the Extreme E program in 2019 and has been "Instrumental", say the team, in testing alongside his team mate Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinskyand his brother Timmy. The trio were the first to drive the Odessey 21 back in 2019 at Chateau de Lastours in France. Mean while button will be wearing his Team Principle hat for this coming race. "Kevin has been a fixture in the FIA World Rallycross Championship for a number of years, securing event wins and multiple podiums for Team Peugeot-Hansen. He has a strong rallycross pedigree in his family from his father Kenneth Hansen - so it is no surprise he has had so much success." "Earlier in his career, the 22-year-old Swedish racer secured the 2015 RX2 title and won the 2016 FIA Rookie of the Year award for best up-and-coming driver across the governing body’s championships following his FIA European Rallycross Championship win that year – the youngest driver ever to do so." say JBXE Team Jenson Button, Founder of JBXE said: “I’m delighted to announce that an opportunity has arisen for Kevin Hansen to compete for JBXE in Senegal. I’m obviously wearing two hats with JBXE as both a driver, but also team owner, and it’s the latter which means having the opportunity to put Kevin in the car for this race was one I didn’t want to pass up. Brother of course to Timmy Hansen and son to Rallycross legend, Kenneth Hansen, Kevin has a fantastic pedigree and has already achieved so much in the world of rallycross at such a young age. He’s an exciting driver and I can’t wait to see him representing JBXE in Senegal and I look forward to being back behind the wheel in Greenland.” Kevin Hansen, JBXE driver said: “I’m really excited to join Formula One World Champion Jenson Button and his JBXE team for the Extreme E X Prix - it's a huge opportunity. “I've been so involved in the series and developing the car since the beginning, from the early testing programme right to Aragon last year, so to get this opportunity now with Jenson is so nice and I'm super excited to get to Senegal and see what I can do. “I’m so happy to be joining Mikaela also. I hope together we can be strong as I believe she is one of the strongest drivers in the championship and I've known her for a very long time. She's very talented so this is a huge opportunity for us to be working together, and we have so much history in sharing the car together so it is going to be nice to be with her in this event, and I think we can do a good job together.” His teammate for Senegal, Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky, added: “I’m so excited to be racing with Kevin in the Ocean X Prix, he is super eager to have some good results so I think this will be a great collaboration. We are actually doing some driving practice in Sweden in the coming days. “I’ve known Kevin since we were around 10 years old as we have raced together in the Swedish National Team and worked together in developing the Extreme E car over the last couple of years. We’ve actually raced against each other too in Rallycross so I’m looking forward to getting some good results with Kevin.” The all-Swedish driver line-up is set to take on the Ocean X Prix next weekend (29-30 May) in Dakar, Senegal. JBXE currently sits sixth in the overall standings following the inaugural X Prix in Saudi Arabia in April.
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 McLaren Racing has announced this morning that it has extended its relationship with Lando Norris, the team’s current Formula 1 driver, in a multi-year agreement. Norris from Somerset, UK, initially joined the renowned team as a test and simulator driver before being promoted to the full time race seat in 2019. Since then he has shown his incredible talent and pace, picking up 2 podiums in the last 2 years. Out of 42 race starts the young Brit has managed to get a points finish 28 times. "The confirmation of its driver pairing beyond 2022 signals McLaren Racing’s commitment to stability for the future and represents a further step in the team’s long-term plan to compete at the front of the field." - McLaren Zak Brown, Chief Executive Officer, McLaren Racing said: “I’m delighted with the extension of our agreement with Lando for 2022 and beyond. He’s been instrumental in our return of form here at McLaren and we’re proud of the growth he’s shown since he first started with us back in 2017. Lando is one of the brightest talents on the Formula 1 grid and we look forward to seeing him continue to go from strength-to-strength both on and off track.” Andreas Seidl, Team Principal, McLaren F1 said: “Our decision to confirm Lando’s long-term future at McLaren was very straightforward. Lando has impressed us since his rookie year with his performances, and his evolution as a driver since then has been clear to see. He’s an integral part of our performance recovery plan and his record so far, securing two podiums with the team over the past year, has shown he’s a formidable competitor on track. Like him, we have strong ambitions for our future together and I’m pleased we’re continuing this journey for both Lando and the team. In Lando and Daniel we have a hugely talented and exciting driver line-up, and this announcement is a strong signal of commitment to the next chapter for McLaren from 2022 onwards.” Lando Norris, McLaren Formula 1 driver said: “I’m really pleased to have extended my relationship with McLaren from 2022. Having been with the team for almost five years, I feel very much part of the family here and I couldn’t imagine starting the next phase of my career anywhere else. McLaren has been a huge support since my days in junior series and I’ve really enjoyed learning and developing as a driver since. “My commitment to McLaren is clear: my goal is to win races and become Formula 1 World Champion and I want to do that with this team. Since joining in 2017 our progression has been consistent and we have clear ambitions together for the future. “I want to say thank you to Zak and Andreas for the belief they’ve shown in me since the beginning, and to the whole team for giving me such a strong environment to continue my career in. We’ve already had some incredible moments together which I’ll never forget – two podiums and securing P3 in the championship – and together with Daniel and the rest of the team I’m looking forward to pushing for even more success in the years to come.”  Since Romain Grosjean's accident in the Bahrain GP last year, he hasn't stepped foot back into a Formula 1 car.... Until now. Grosjean will take the wheel of the Championship winning W10- at the Paul Ricard Circuit next month.
His horrendous crash last year was absolutely devastating but thankfully he walked away from the crash suffering with various burns. He was due to be replaced by the young drivers who currently now occupy the teams seats, but he was hopeful that he could have raced in the Finale at Abu Dhabi. This was not to be the case. Due to the injuries sustained it brought his F1 carrer as we know it to an end. Toto Wolf promised to Romain that he would not end his career in that fashion, offering him a drive in the ever dominant Mercedes at some point in the future. The team principle invited Romain to the base in Brackley on 30th March to undergo a seat fit and spend time in the simulator. These preparations are all leading to the forma F1 driver taking part in an organised test of the French-man's home circuit on the 29th June. Also taking part in a series of demo laps ahead of the French Grand Prix on Sunday 27th June. Romain Grosjean "I am so excited to jump back in an F1 car! It will be a special opportunity for me and to drive a World Championship-winning Mercedes will be a unique experience. I'm very grateful to Mercedes F1 and to Toto for the opportunity. The first I heard about the chance to drive a Mercedes was in my hospital bed in Bahrain when Toto was speaking to the media and made the invitation. Reading that news cheered me up a lot! F1 didn't get the chance to race in France during 2020 because of COVID so driving a Mercedes at the French Grand Prix in 2021 and then completing a test at the Circuit Paul Ricard, my home track, will be so special. I can't wait for the day to arrive." Toto Wolff "We are very happy to support Romain with this special opportunity. The idea first came when it looked like Romain would be ending his active career in Formula One, and we didn't want his accident to be his last moment in an F1 car. I have known Romain since his days in Formula Three when he won the Championship. He enjoyed a long and successful F1 career and we wanted to make sure that his final memories would be at the wheel of a championship-winning car. I'm excited to see what Romain's feedback on the W10 is. Romain's accident reminds us of the dangers these guys face each time they climb into the cockpit but it's also a testament to the incredible steps this sport has taken to improve safety over the years. I know the F1 community will celebrate seeing Romain back on track". Lewis Hamilton "I'm really happy to see Romain back in an F1 car after his accident last year. When it happened, we were all praying for him and seeing him walk away from it and recover so well was a massive relief. I'm looking forward to seeing him again in France and welcoming him to the team for the weekend - although he better look after my W10!" |
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