Sergio Perez Remaining with Red Bull Racing Through End of Year

Posted on August 2, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Sergio Perez is staying in the red (bull)…

The 34-year-old Mexican racing driver will remain a Formula One driver beyond the summer break and until the end of the year, Red Bull has confirmed.

The shock decision was announced by Horner to the Red Bull factory, sources confirmed to ESPN.

“Checo remains a Red Bull Racing driver despite recent speculation and we look forward to seeing him perform at tracks he has previously excelled at after the summer break,” Horner said.

Perez’s future has been hanging in the balance for a while and as recently as the Belgian Grand Prix weekend sources had told ESPN he could be replaced over the summer break, which runs until the end of August.

On Monday, Horner and Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko held a meeting to discuss a number of issues including the future of Perez.

The outcome of that discussion was an agreement Perez should see out the season with the team.

The Mexican driver has failed to score a podium since the Chinese GP in April and his poor form, coupled with McLaren’s resurgence, has left Red Bull under threat in the constructors’ championship.

He has accumulated just 28 points over the last eight races.

According to sources, plenty of people within Red Bull fear the team will lose the constructors’ championship to McLaren this season and most point to Perez as the reason why.

Focus will now turn to the upcoming Imola test of RB‘s Daniel Ricciardo and Red Bull reserve driver Liam Lawson on Wednesday.

Originally viewed as an audition for the Perez seat, that may well now be a straight shootout — either for Ricciardo to keep his seat beyond the break or for Lawson to replace him at the Dutch Grand Prix and beyond.

Ricciardo, still without a contract extension for 2025, saw an uptick in performance before the summer break which appeared to have moved him closer to staying put this season.

Carlos Sainz Agrees to Multi-Year Deal with Williams

Posted on July 29, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Carlos Sainz is racing towards a new team…

The 29-year-old Spanish racing driver, who currently competes in Formula One, will leave Ferrari and join Williams in 2025, the team confirmed on Monday, ending months of speculation about his future.

Sainz has signed on a multi-year deal with Williams, meaning he’ll drive alongside Alex Albon in 2025.

Announcing the deal, Williams said he’ll race at the team “for ’25, ’26 and beyond”, with the deal including two guaranteed years and another option season after that.

American driver Logan Sargeant will make way for Sainz at the end of the current season and it’s unlikely he’ll continue in F1 beyond that point.

Sainz’s next step has been unclear since Ferrari announced the signing of Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton for next season.

“I am very happy to announce that I will be joining Williams Racing from 2025 onwards,” he said. “It is no secret that this year’s driver market has been exceptionally complex for various reasons and that it has taken me some time to announce my decision.

“However, I am fully confident that Williams is the right place for me to continue my F1 journey and I am extremely proud of joining such a historic and successful team, where many of my childhood heroes drove in the past and made their mark on our sport.

“The ultimate goal of bringing Williams back to where it belongs, at the front of the grid, is a challenge that I embrace with excitement and positivity. I am convinced that this team has all the right ingredients to make history again and starting on Jan. 1 I will give my absolute best to drive Williams forward alongside every single member of the team.”

Sainz has won three F1 races, including this year’s Australian Grand Prix.

Williams boss James Vowles said the signing gives his team one of the strongest line-ups on the grid.

“Carlos joining Williams is a strong statement of intent from both parties,” he said. “Carlos has demonstrated time and again that he is one of the most talented drivers on the grid, with race-winning pedigree, and this underlines the upwards trajectory we are on. Carlos brings not just experience and performance, but also a fierce drive to extract every millisecond out of the team and car; the fit is perfect.

“In Alex and Carlos we will have one of the most formidable driver line-ups on the grid and with huge experience to guide us into the new regulations in 2026.

“Their belief in this organization’s mission demonstrates the magnitude of the work going on behind the scenes. People should be in no doubt about our ambition and momentum as we continue our journey back to competitiveness — we are here, we are serious and with Dorilton’s backing we are investing in what it takes to return to the front of the grid.

“I also want to thank Logan for everything he has done for the team and know he will continue to fight hard for us in the races ahead.”

Netflix Releases Trailer for Biopic “Senna,” Starring Gabriel Leone

Posted on April 30, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Gabriel Leone is shifting gears…

Netflix has released the trailer for its Senna biopic, which stars the 30-year-old Brazilian actor and musician.

Premiering later this year, the project stars Gabriel Leone as the eponymous driver.

The trailer recreates his historic victory at the 1991 Brazilian Grand Prix in Interlagos, following a challenging race where he was mostly stuck in sixth gear and also marking the first time he won in his hometown of Sao Paulo.

The teaser also displays possible thoughts and experiences, interspersed with images of the race that led Senna to where he had got to in his career before he tragically died in 1994.

The six-part series starts with the genesis of the three-time F1 champion’s motor racing career, when he moves to England to compete in Formula Ford, and runs until his tragic accident in Imola, Italy, during the San Marino Grand Prix.

Senna also stars Kaya Scodelario, whose mother is Brazillian, fresh off the back of her turn in Netflix’s The Gentlemen.

With Vicente Amorim as showrunner and co-director, alongside with Julia Rezende, Senna is produced by Fabiano Gullane and Caio Gullane with the support of Senna Brands and the driver’s family.

It also stars Alice Wegmann (Lilian Vasconcelos, Ayrton’s first wife), Camila Márdila (Vivianne Senna, his sister), Christian Malheiros (Maurinho, his friend), Gabriel Louchard (Galvão Bueno), Hugo Bonemer (Nelson Piquet), Julia Foti (Adriane Galisteu), Marco Ricca (“Maurão” Senna, his father), Nicolas Cruz (Leonardo Senna, his brother), Rodrigo Veloso (Flavio, brother-in-law) and Susana Ribeiro (Zaza Senna, his mother), plus an international cast including Matt Mella (Alain Prost), Arnaud Viard (Jean-Marie Balestre), Patrick Kennedy (Ron Dennis), Joe Hurst (Keith Sutton), Johannes Heinrichs (Niki Lauda), Keisuke Hoashi (Osamu Goto), Leon Ockenden (James Hunt), Richard Clothier (Peter Warr), Steven Mackintosh (Frank Williams) and Tom Mannion (Sid Watkins).

Head scriptwriter is Gustavo Bragança and writers are Álvaro Campos, Gustavo Bragança, Rafael Spínola, Thais Falcão and Álvaro Mamute. Amorim is directing with Júlia Rezende.

An Asif Kapadia doc about Senna won two BAFTAs in 2011.

Patricio “Pato” O’Ward Signs with Range Media Partners

Posted on December 8, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Patricio “Pato” O’Ward is expanding his Range…

The 24-year-old Mexican professional auto racer, who competes full-time in the IndyCar Series, has signed with Range Media Partners.

The signing comes off the heels of the recent announcement that O’Ward, the Arrow McLaren driver, was named a Formula One Reserve Driver for McLaren F1 for the upcoming 2024 season.

As he speeds towards his racing dreams, Range will be helping O’Ward further expand his media repertoire, building out a larger brand partnerships strategy and a content business across television and film.

Originally from Mexico, O’Ward grew up in San Antonio where he started his racing journey karting at the age of 6.

Seven years later, he began competing in open-wheel racing, including the LATAM Formula 2000, Formula Renault 1.6 NEC and Pacific Formula F2000.

He is the 2017 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship champion in the Prototype Challenge class, a two-time class winner at the Rolex 24 at Daytona and a Prototype Challenge class winner at the Twelve Hours of Sebring.

In 2018, O’Ward was named Rookie of the Year after becoming the Indy NXT by Firestone champion (previously known as Indy Lights).

O’Ward had a strong 2023 IndyCar season, including his best starting position to date in the 2023 Indianapolis 500, ultimately finishing fourth in the championship with the most podium finishes (seven) and top five finishes of his career. This success allowed O’Ward to qualify for his FIA Super License, which coupled with his strong performance in the new McLaren Driver Development Programme, helped pave the way for his recent promotion to McLaren’s reserve driver pool for 2024.

Carlos Sainz Teams Up with Justin Thomas to Claim First-Ever Netflix Cup Trophy

Posted on November 15, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Carlos Sainz is celebrating his Netflix and thrill moment…

The 29-year-old Spanish racing driver, who currently competes in Formula One for Scuderia Ferrari, and pro golfer Justin Thomas teamed up to win the first-ever Netflix Cup, a crossover event featuring PGA TOUR players and F1 drivers competing in an eight-hole scramble.

The first-of-a-kind event was held Tuesday at Wynn Golf Club in Las Vegas.

The duo hoisted the Cup together in the post-match ceremony, with Thomas then drinking from the Cup. Then Sainz had his turn, and he dropped the trophy, which broke.

Thomas and Sainz defeated the tandem of Tony Finau and Pierre Gasly in the closest-to-pin contest on the final hole after the four-team field was cut in half following eight holes of match play.

The competition qualified as silly at times, but the spectators lining the course to watch seemed to find it entertaining.

A number of celebrities were on hand for the event, which also included controversial topics.

Protesters, apparently representing PETA, came onto the course to demand that F1, with parent company Liberty Media, cut ties with the Iditarod dogsled race in Alaska.

While golf was the designated sport, it was far from any typical round.

There were plenty of antics with the golf itself. For instance, on the first tee, four golfers teed off at the same time and then raced to their golf carts, following the designated “race course” onto the fairway to get to their balls. Golfers raced to get to the green and to see who could arrive fastest, locate their golf balls and then putt amid the mayhem on the greens.

As part of the race to get to the greens, golfer Rickie Fowler was driving the cart with F1 driver Lando Norris as the passenger.

The other team was Max Homa–Alex Albon. Finau was credited with the competition’s first birdie.

This competition was a prelude to the weekend’s Formula 1 Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix.

This was Netflix’s first live airing of a sports event.

Camila Márdila to Star in Netflix’s Highly-Anticipated Biopic Series “Senna”

Posted on October 20, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Camila Márdila is preparing for life in the fast lane…

The 35-year-old Brazilian actress will star in Netflix’s highly-anticipated Senna biopic series.

Over the course of six episodes, Senna will, for the first time, depict the journey of overcoming obstacles, ups and downs, joys, and sorrows of Formula 1 driver Ayrton Senna da Silva, a Brazilian racing driver who won the F1 World Drivers’ Championship in 1988, 1990 and 1991.

Senna is one of three Formula One drivers from Brazil to win the World Championship and won 41 Grand Prixs and 65 pole positions, with the latter being the record until 2006.

He died tragically in Italy during the San Marino Grand Prix.

A 2010 documentary from Asif Kapadia on the sports star won Best Documentary at the BAFTAs.

Mardilla, who joins previously-announced lead Gabriel Leone and Kaya Scodelario, is part of a roster of new cast additions that includes Alice Wegmann, Christian Malheiros, Gabriel Louchard, Hugo Bonemer, Julia Foti, Marco Ricca, Pâmela Tomé and Susana Ribeiro.

Other previously announced cast members include Matt Mella, Arnaud Viard, Joe Hurst, Johannes Heinrichs, Keisuke Hoashi, Leon Ockenden, Patrick Kennedy, Richard Clothier, Steven Mackintosh and Tom Mannion .

The large-scale production and some of the actors have just arrived in Brazil, where filming is taking place in São Paulo and Angra dos Reis, Rio de Janeiro.

The Gullane-produced miniseries, one of Netflix’s biggest in Brazil, has already filmed in Argentina and Uruguay and will proceed to the UK after completing filming in the country.

Vicente Amorim is showrunner and the director is Julia Rezende.

Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz Ends Max Verstappen’s Winning Streak with Singapore Grand Prix Victory

Posted on September 17, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Carlos Sainz has put an end to Max Verstappen‘s record-breaking run of victories…

The 29-year-old Spanish racing driver, currently competing in Formula One for Scuderia Ferrari, won a tense Singapore Grand Prix to end Verstappen’s record-breaking run and Red Bull‘s hopes of an unbeaten season.

Sainz drove a tactical masterclass in the final laps, keeping Lando Norris‘ McLaren close enough that he had use of the Drag Reduction System (DRS) overtaking aid to keep charging Mercedes drivers George Russell and Lewis Hamilton at bay.

In a dramatic finish, on the final lap Russell crashed out while chasing Norris to hand the final podium spot to Hamilton.

Sainz’s win was his second in F1 and Ferrari‘s first since his teammate Charles Leclerc won the Austrian Grand Prix on July 10 last year.

In the time since, Red Bull had lost only one race, when George Russell won the Brazilian Grand Prix in November.

Sainz’s victory ended Verstappen’s record run of 10 wins in a row as the huge pace advantage Red Bull had all year disappeared under the lights of Marina Bay.

Verstappen had to settle for fifth position, his first race off the podium this year.

What had been a quiet contest exploded into life in the final 10 laps.

Russell and Hamilton had been brought into contention when Mercedes used a Virtual Safety Car on Lap 45 of 62 to bring both drivers in for fresh tyres when the others did not.

The pace advantage saw them quickly catch the lead three cars, but after both got by Leclerc with relative ease, Russell was unable to get past Norris, who was always within one second of Sainz.

When told how close Norris was behind at one stage, Sainz told Ferrari: “Yeah, it’s on purpose.”

F1’s rules allowed him use of the DRS overtaking aid, and the speed boost it gave Norris on the straights was enough to keep the McLaren driver ahead, which he did with some good defending driving four laps from the end.

Having failed to get by Norris on a couple of occasions, Russell then clipped the inside wall and went straight on into the barrier on the final lap.

That promoted Hamilton to third and Leclerc to fourth in the other Ferrari.

Verstappen finished fifth, extending his huge championship lead over Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez, who finished eighth.

Verstappen is now 151 points clear; a win Sunday would have given him the chance to wrap up the title in Japan next week. Instead, the earliest he can do it is October 8 at the Qatar Grand Prix. Red Bull has utterly dominated the season and will hope the race at Suzuka is business as usual.

Alpine’s Pierre Gasly was sixth, ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri.

Liam Lawson continued his impressive start to life in F1, scoring the first points in his career in ninth.

Lawson is expected to drive again at the Japanese Grand Prix, with Daniel Ricciardo still not ready to return to racing after breaking a hand in a crash ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix.

Kevin Magnussen managed to snatch a point for Haas to reward the team for a strong weekend that had seen both cars start inside the top 10.

Carlos Sainz Claims First Career Formula One Victory at British Grand Prix

Posted on July 3, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Carlos Sainz has found the winning formula…

The 27-year-old Spanish racing driver has claimed his first Formula One victory ahead of Sergio Perez and Lewis Hamilton at a rollercoaster and action-packed British Grand Prix.

The race, one of the best of the season so far, included a dramatic crash at the start which saw Zhou Guanyu‘s car flipped over tire barrier, protesters forcing their way onto the track on the opening lap and championship leader Max Verstappen dropping down the order with a damaged car.

Sainz’s chances of a first win appeared to have completely disappeared at two different points in the race, first after a big mistake at Becketts and then after he obeyed a team order to let teammate Charles Leclerc through on Lap 32 of 52.

A late Safety Car and race restart 10 laps later provided a perfect opportunity for Sainz to reclaim the lead and scamper away with the win as an unbelievable finish unfolded in the battle for second behind him between Perez, Hamilton and Leclerc.

“Yes! We did it! Yes! Vamos!” Sainz shouted over the radio after crossing the line, securing his first win in 151 F1 attempts.

Home favorite Hamilton had looked in a perfect position to challenge the Ferraris of Leclerc and Sainz for his first victory of the season until that Safety Car deployment and immediately lost position to Perez at the restart.

An epic battle for second and third then unfolded between Perez, Hamilton and Leclerc, featuring multiple position changes and some aggressive driving from all three drivers.

On lap 48, Perez forced Leclerc wide at the final corner, allowing Hamilton up into second. Several corners later, Perez forced Hamilton wide to reclaim the position and the Mercedes driver fell behind Leclerc.

Leclerc turned in some incredible defensive driving to keep Hamilton at bay for as long as he could in the closing stages but in the end could not do anything about the major tyre disadvantage he had been left with at the Safety Car restart.

For Hamilton it was his second visit to the podium in two races and a clear sign of the progress Mercedes has made in recent races.

Leclerc had to settle for fourth position, having lost a rare opportunity to make a bigger dent in Verstappen’s championship lead.

Verstappen finished seventh after holding off Haas’ Mick Schumacher in the run to the finish line.

Verstappen still holds a healthy lead in the championship, 34 points ahead of teammate Perez and 43 ahead of Leclerc.

Sainz’s win moved him ahead of George Russell, who did not finish, and into fourth position in the title fight.

The events of the first 10 seconds of the race set the tone for the dramatic afternoon which followed.

Alfa Romeo rookie Zhou Gaunyu was vaulted into a terrifying barrel roll at Turn 1 which left his car upside down in the tire barrier and prompted a red flag race suspension.

Zhou had been tagged by the Mercedes of George Russell, who in turn had been hit by Pierre Gasly‘s AlphaTauri.

Russell’s race ended in the gravel trap at Turn 1, while Alex Albon was also spun into the wall at Turn 1.

Gasly was later spun around by teammate Yuki Tsunoda.

All those incidents opened up a perfect opportunity for Haas to bounce back from a deflating Saturday which had seen both drivers eliminated in Q1, as Schumacher finally claimed the first F1 points of his career.

An emotional Schumacher apologized to Haas after finishing after swearing over the radio as he celebrated the finish.

Teammate Kevin Magnussen claimed the final points paying position of the afternoon in 10th.

Edwin Castro Signs with Creative Artists Agency (CAA)

Posted on April 24, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Edwin Castro has new representation…

The 30-year-old Mexican American Twitch streamer has signed with Creative Artists Agency (CAA) for representation in all areas.

Castro is best known for his soccer-themed content including FIFA.

He averages 30,000 concurrent live viewers on the Amazon-owned platform and has over 3.5 million followers.

Castro is also active on YouTube and social media channels.

A sports enthusiast, Castro attends major sporting events annually such as WWE, F1, NFL, NBA and MLB.

Among his work with brands, Castro has collaborated with 7-Eleven, Gillette, Electronic Arts and Turtle Beach. Earlier this year, he was seen in a McDonald’s Super Bowl commercial.

Juan Manuel Correa Announces Plans to Return to Racing in Formula 3

Posted on February 1, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Juan Manuel Correa is preparing to make a big return to the track…

The 21-year-old Ecuadorian racing driver who suffered severe injuries in a Formula 2 accident that killed Anthoine Hubert in 2019, has announced plans to return to racing this year in Formula 3.

Correa sustained serious leg injuries after his car collided with Hubert’s during an F2 race at Spa-Francorchamps in August, 2019.

He was placed in an induced coma after the accident and spent months in hospital, during which he opted against the amputation of his right leg in favor of a total reconstruction.

After a series of surgeries last year and extensive rehabilitation, Correa has announced that he’ll return to racing in F3, which will act as a support series for F1 at various rounds this season, including the U.S. Grand Prix in Austin.

He will race for ART Grand Prix — the same team Hubert raced for in the series when it was known as GP3.

“Announcing my return to the race tracks is one of the proudest moments in my professional career, as I’ve had to work very hard and sacrifice a lot for it to happen,” Correa said. “I want to thank the motorsport community and the fans for their unconditional support.

“I have no words to thank ART Grand Prix for believing in me and for being part of my story. I would also like to take a chance to honor the memory of Anthoine, as I will keep him very close to my heart in every race and try to carry his legacy as best as I can.”

Correa completed one full season in GP3 in 2018 and finished 12th in the standings before moving up to F2 in 2019, in which he took two second-place finishes before his accident.

He has undergone a total of 25 surgeries on both legs since his accident, with an initial prognosis that it would take two-and-a-half years for him to recover to a point where he could consider racing again.

Last year, Correa said he soon realized after coming out of a coma that he could never turn his back on motorsport.

“Racing is really what I love and it only took me a few days to realize I wasn’t going to lose my love for racing that easily,” he said. “I needed a challenge to motivate myself and do the long journey I have ahead of me.

“Coming back to racing is really a challenge that motivates me and keeps me in a positive mind frame. That’s why this comeback is very important for me.”

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