Professional drifter Ryan Tuerck is embarking on an ambitious project to create an A90 Toyota Supra drift car powered by a Judd Formula 1-derived V10 engine.
Honda is ending its participation in Formula 1 in order to focus its research and development on fuel cells and battery EV technologies, the company announced. It currently builds the turbocharged hybrid power units for Red Bull Racing, which sits in second place in the F1 constructor standings, along with Red Bull's adjacent team Scuderia AlphaTauri.
Honda said that it achieved its goal of earning victories with three wins last season and two so far in 2020. However, it believes that the auto industry is going through a "once-in-one-hundred-years" period of transition and it has decided to strive for carbon neutrality by 2050. As such, it will funnel its R&D money into green power unit and energy tech like fuel cell and battery EV technology. All the knowledge it amassed in F1, particularly in the areas of energy management and fuel technologies, will be transferred to its new research center.
The Renault Formula One team will be renamed Alpine F1 from 2021, competing in French colors to showcase the carmaker's sportscar brand, new company CEO Luca de Meo announced on Sunday.
Alpine has a strong motorsport pedigree, in rallying and endurance racing, but has not previously featured in Formula One as a constructor. The Renault name will remain on the car as the engine provider.
It's not very often that a Formula 1 car hits the market, but later this month, a 2009 Toyota TF109 F1 car will cross the auction block.
Collectors who find limited-edition hypercars with a multi-million-dollar price tag a little bit too stodgy will soon have a rare opportunity to add a real Formula One car to their fleet. Toyota donated the first example of the last car it built to compete in the series to a charity auction whose proceeds will go towards COVID-19 relief.
Wearing chassis number 01, this TF109 participated in a battery of tests leading up to the 2009 Formula One season. It was driven by several professional pilots, including Henkie Waldschmidt, Jarno Trulli and Timo Glock, but it never lined up on the starting grid of a race. Instead of stuffing it in a dimly-lit museum, Toyota passed the TF109 to Pirelli who used it as a high-speed test mule for tires. It was stripped of its red and white livery and put in the hands of well-known pilots (including Romain Grosjean) until it finally retired in 2011 after covering about 30,000 kilometers (approximately 19,000 miles), which is enormous for a Formula One car.