Word on the beat, October 2022

IndyCar champ Alex Palou – in a legal wrangle with Chip Ganassi Racing about his contract – is tipped to run in a late season FP1 session for McLaren once the IndyCar season is over. This is part of McLaren’s TPC (Testing of Previous Cars) programme for young drivers, with which fellow IndyCar young guns Pato O’Ward and Colton Herta have also been associated.

Documents filed with anti-trust bodies confirm that Porsche intends to buy a 50% stake in Red Bull Technologies, the parent company of Red Bull Racing and Scuderia AlphaTauri. The deal is set to become official just as soon as the 2026 power unit regulations are published by the FIA, confirming the use of sustainable fuel, enhanced ERS power and the abolition of the ERS-h currently in use. At the time of writing Audi was still in negotiation for a controlling interest in the Sauber team, ready for its own entry into F1 under the new PU regulations of ’26.

Alfa Romeo’s naming deal with Sauber has been extended another year to encompass the 2023 season.

If the planned return of South Africa to the F1 calendar cannot happen in time for 2023, then the Belgian GP, right, is favourite to earn a reprieve from being dropped. The French GP however is likely not to be on the calendar regardless. Negotiations with Monaco are still ongoing. Las Vegas, China and Qatar are all set to be added to the calendar for next year.