BMW factory driver Raffaele Marciello will defend his FIA GT World Cup title in next month’s Macau GT3 showpiece, which features all previous winners on the entry list.

Victorious last year with Mercedes, Marciello will line up as part of a 23-car field comprising representation from six manufacturers as he seeks a third victory in the event he also conquered in 2019, the last edition held before a three-year hiatus induced by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Marciello (Toro Racing powered by MCG) will be joined in BMW’s four-car roster by Augusto Farfus (Team KRC), who scored BMW’s only previous GT World Cup win in 2018, along with WRT pair Sheldon van der Linde and Dries Vanthoor.

“I have won the last two editions of the FIA GT World Cup, but this time the situation is completely new for me as I will be driving the BMW M4 GT3 there for the first time,” said Marciello.

“I have always had good fights with BMW in the past, especially with Augusto in 2018 and also in 2017. Now I am very much looking forward to being on the other side.

“I will do everything in my power to bring the trophy back to Munich.”

Race winner Raffaele Marciello, Mercedes-AMG Team Landgraf Mercedes-AMG GT3

Photo by: Mercedes AMG

Other previous winners on the entry list include Maro Engel (2015), Laurens Vanthoor (2016) and Edoardo Mortara (2017) with Mercedes, Porsche and Lamborghini respectively.

Newly-crowned GT World Challenge Europe Sprint champion Engel (GMR) is joined in the four-car Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo roster by Ralf Aron (Toro Racing), 2011 Macau Grand Prix winner Dani Juncadella and Jules Gounon (both Craft-Bamboo).

WEC Hypercar points leader Vanthoor and Alessio Picariello will both be entered in Porsche 911 GT3 Rs by Absolute Racing, with newly crowned IMSA SportsCar Championship GTD Pro winner Laurin Henrich (Schumacher CLRT) and outgoing DTM champion Thomas Preining (Origine) also seeking to become Porsche’s first GT World Cup victors.

Lamborghini too has its sights set on a first victory in the event, and returns with works drivers for the first time since 2017.

Mortara and Matteo Cairoli’s Huracan GT3 Evo 2s will be run by Vincenzo Sospiri Racing under the VSR Theodore Racing banner, with DTM race winner Luca Engstler in a third Lamborghini entered by his family-run team.

Ferrari is also seeking a maiden victory in the event and has entered World Endurance Championship Hypercar drivers Antonio Fuoco and Yi Yifei, making their first GT World Cup appearances.

Fuoco, the outright Le Mans 24 Hours victor in 2023, will race a 296 GT3 run by the AF Corse team that operates his works 499P in the WEC, while Ye and fellow works driver Daniel Serra are fielded by Harmony Racing.

Audi is also present with R8 LMS GT3 Evo2s for works aces Christopher Haase (Phantom Global) and Ricardo Feller (FAW).

The FIA is confident it has an option to present to the World Motor Sport Council to improve and “simplify” the World Rally Championship’s radical points system for next year.

This year’s all-new points structure has proved a hot topic among competitors and fans thanks to its complexity and weighting that many feel has devalued the overall rally victory.

In 2024, points have been split across Saturday and Sunday, with drivers able to claim provisional points for their overall position at the end of Saturday’s leg which are then banked if they reach the end of the rally.

A sliding scale of 18-15-13-10-8-6-4-3-2-1 is awarded to the top 10 at the end of Saturday, but only to those crews who reach Sunday’s event finish.

In addition to this, Sundays offer up a separate points allocation [7-6-5-4-3-2-1] to the top seven fastest crews across Sunday’s stages on top of the 5-4-3-2-1 system for the top five times on the rally-ending Power Stage.

While the new system was designed to improve the action on Sunday and has been highly effective at creating excitement, drivers and teams have been highly critical of the points weighting of the system that has been derided on several occasions.

The ire seems to stem from the fact that a rally winner can quite easily leave the weekend without scoring the most points. This happened once again last weekend as Elfyn Evans, who finished second at the Central European Rally walked away with two more points than event winner Ott Tanak.

Elfyn Evans, Scott Martin, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1

Photo by: Toyota Racing

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As previously reported the FIA has been evaluating four new proposals to make improvements to the system for next year.

Speaking at last weekend’s Central European Rally the FIA has confirmed that it has a proposal that it will present to the World Motor Sport Council which could be in place for next year.

Motorsport.com understands that the weighting of the points to ensure the rally winner is rewarded more is part of the proposal.

“We have different options, we have been talking about this all season. Every two weeks we have a sporting working groups and different options are on the table coming from the driver’s representative Scott [Martin] and from the manufacturers and from the WRC Promoter.

“Finally, we think we have an option to be presented to the next commission that more or less all agree with,” said FIA WRC category manager Marina Dunach.

“It will go to a vote at the World Motor Sport Council and maybe we will have a new points system for next year.

“After looking at the different options presented we have been testing with Excel files what would happen using the different options and thinking what is the best for the championship. We all feel more or less that this is more fair, maybe.”

FIA road sport director Andrew Wheatley added: “The key priority for the [original] rule change was to try and ensure that we had less of a discussion about Sunday, it created other discussions which is normal, and now the proposal is to try and tweak to simplify it [the points system].”

The Honda MotoGP factory team is finalising a deal with Castrol to replace Repsol from the 2025 season, Motorsport.com has learned.

Although it was an open secret for months, Repsol executives formally informed Honda of their intention not to extend their sponsorship deal – which expires at the end of this season – on the Sunday of this year’s San Marino Grand Prix.

With a brief statement sent just after the MotoGP race, the Spanish company put an end to 30 years of a relationship that began losing strength following the departure of Marc Marquez from the Japanese squad at the end of last year.

Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

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Repsol’s financial contribution to HRC was considerably reduced once the Spanish rider’s departure to Gresini was confirmed, a circumstance that was reflected in the evident loss of the oil company’s logo on the RC213V, going from occupying a central place to moving to the underside of Joan Mir and Luca Marini’s bikes.

In fact, if the Honda manufacturer’s factory squad has continued to identify itself as the Repsol Honda Team, it has been thanks to a gesture of goodwill from the Japanese brand, which, in any case, has raced with its bikes decorated mainly in the corporate colours (red, blue and white), rather than black.

The Honda/Repsol partnership began in 1995 and has since produced a total of 15 riders’ titles, 10 constructors’ titles and 183 race victories.

With the break-up now just a few months away, Motorsport.com has learned that Honda has already agreed a deal with Castrol for the British oil company to fill the gap left by Repsol from next season onwards.

Castrol is one of the main partners of the LCR team, owned by Lucio Cecchinello, which has the fuel and lubricant company as a main sponsor on the side of the garage currently occupied by Johann Zarco.

The new partnership with the factory team does not, however, jeopardise the existing one with LCR.

While the relationship between Castrol and the Tokyo-based manufacturer’s factory team will not reach title sponsor status by 2025, the relationship could go further depending on a number of factors.

Lando Norris has conceded that “driving like a muppet” at the start of the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix ultimately led to the controversial battle with Max Verstappen.

The Red Bull driver made a lunge up the inside of Norris into the first corner, forcing both wide and allowing Charles Leclerc through into the lead on the way to an eventual dominant victory.

While Verstappen’s move could have brought repercussions for its forceful nature, the fact it was on lap one meant the race stewards dismissed the case.

When the duo met again at the end of the race with Norris trying to take the final podium spot, the three-time champion again pushed his title rival wide and, despite both running off-track, it was the McLaren that was penalised for leaving the track and gaining an advantage.

While much ire was directed towards the decision post-race, Norris held his hands up for leaving space for Verstappen to attack into the first corner, which eventually led to the late-race tussle.

“Turn one, I didn’t do the correct thing but I feel like what happened at the end of the race was more on my side. Otherwise, it was a good battle, and I enjoyed it. We just didn’t come out on top because I didn’t do a good enough job.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB20, Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38, battle into turn 1

Photo by: Steve Etherington / Motorsport Images

“If I defended better in turn one and wasn’t driving like a muppet, then I should have led after Turn 1, and we shouldn’t have this conversation in the first place…”

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella was very careful not to direct anger towards Verstappen in his comments after the race, underlining his frustration was with the stewards and the state of F1’s rules.

Norris was also full of respect for his rival, insisting: “I think Max drove very well.

“It’s very hard to do what we’re doing, and it’s hard when you’re side by side, you’re completely one side of the track to guess where your braking marker is.

“You’re going quicker than you have before because you use the battery, the tyres are older, there’s different bumps, there’s a lot of dirt, we’re battling and fighting hard… so I respect the battle that we had, it was a good one, it was enjoyable, I think it was respectful.”

Three FIA Formula 3 race winners are among numerous drivers from the series to step down a level of the single-seater ladder to enter next month’s Macau Grand Prix.

F3 cars have traditionally contested the Macau World Cup event, but organisers revealed earlier this year that they would swap to Formula Regional machinery for the 2024 edition on 17 November, saying it was “a natural consequence of the evolution of the junior single-seater landscape”. 

Several F3 frontrunners were unimpressed by the move at the time, with series runner-up Gabriele Mini among those believing the event could suffer as a result.

However, the change has not stopped a host of this year’s F3 racers from appearing on the 27-strong entry list that has now been announced, and these drivers include championship frontrunners Oliver Goethe and Dino Beganovic.

Red Bull junior Goethe finished seventh in the standings after foregoing his slim chance to take the title by skipping the Monza finale and instead replacing F1-bound Franco Colapinto with MP Motorsport in F2. He will now continue with the Dutch squad for another Macau attack after taking ninth in last year’s GP. 

Ferrari Driver Academy member Beganovic, meanwhile, will again race for Prema, and rounding out the F3 victors so far signed up is Mari Boya (Pinnacle), who was fourth in Macau in 2023. 

Mari Boya, Campos Racing, Sebastian Montoya, Campos Racing and Oliver Goethe, Campos Racing

Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images

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Other F3 competitors entered include 2022 British F4 champion and McLaren junior Alex Dunne, who moves across to Prema from MP, and Noel Leon (Pinnacle).

Multiple current Formula Regional European Championship drivers have also been confirmed, including James Wharton (ART) and Tuukka Taponen (R-ace), who are second and third in the points ahead of this weekend’s Monza finale.

Meanwhile, progressing to Formula Regional competition will be Italian F4 dominator Freddie Slater, who is this week tackling the final shootout for the Silverstone Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award.

Alongside the FIA F3 and FRECA drivers and F4 graduates, Super Formula Lights race winners Rikuto Kobayashi and Jin Nakamura (both with TOM’S) are among a Japanese contingent tackling the event. 

“I am really happy to see so many of the most talented junior drivers and teams committed to the FIA FR World Cup,” said FIA single-seater committee president Emanuele Pirro. 

“This event has always been one of the toughest and more rewarding challenges on the pathway for young drivers as they progress towards the ultimate goal of Formula 1 and our other FIA World Championships, and to have so many different former champions of F4 and Formula Regional coming to Macau really brings the spirit of this historic race.”

There are still two unconfirmed drivers on the entry, with both MP and PHM having a seat available.

Red Bull has hinted that Yuki Tsunoda could get his first test for the team after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Motorsport.com revealed over the Austin weekend that Japanese manufacturer Honda was pushing hard for Tsunoda to be given a run for Red Bull’s main squad.

Up until now, he has tested and raced only for the junior AlphaTauri/RB operations, and his drives in a Red Bull car have been limited to demo events.

But Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko has suggested that the squad could give him that first opportunity at the end of the season.

Asked by Motorsport.com if there was a chance of Red Bull accepting Honda’s request for a Tsunoda test, Marko said: “We have some plans for Abu Dhabi, yes. But we have various drivers, you know. We have [Isack] Hadjar, for example, and now we have Liam [Lawson].”

Although the specifics of what Marko is referring to are not clear, the most likely scenario could be for Tsunoda to drive the Red Bull RB20 in the post-season tyre test.

This test takes place on the Tuesday after the season finale and teams are required to run two cars in it.

One car must be piloted by a driver who holds an official F1 superlicence and is for tyre testing, while the other is for young drivers who have not competed in more than two grands prix in their career.

Liam Lawson, RB F1 Team, Yuki Tsunoda, RB F1 Team

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

If Red Bull’s current drivers Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez elect to skip the test, then Red Bull could slot Tsunoda in its RB20, with Lawson driving for RB.

The team could then put a young driver like Hadjar in one of its cars, with other contenders being Honda junior Ayumu Iwasa or even simulator driver Jake Dennis, who got a run in a practice session last year.

The final choice will likely be influenced by whether Red Bull feels that one of the current RB drivers should step up to the main squad next year if Perez does not perform well enough in the closing stages of this season.

Lawson has been drafted in for the final races as replacement for Daniel Ricciardo with a view to being evaluated by Red Bull. The New Zealander impressed over the Austin weekend – coming from the back of the grid thanks to an engine change penalty to finish ninth.

Speaking about Lawson’s weekend, Marko said: “Perfect! It was already when he was P3 in Q1, then they made their tactical games [to not set a competitive time in Q2].

“To go from P19 to P9, with all his lap times, and also his overtaking with [Fernando] Alonso, because [on Saturday] Alonso was complaining.

“I think he was really surprised and all of a sudden he was there. He’s a very tough racer, and he showed that he has the speed.”

Speaking to Motorsport.com last weekend, Koji Watanabe, the president of Honda’s racing arm HRC, said he was pushing hard for Tsunoda to get a Red Bull run.

“We believe he has the talent. Of course, driver decisions are ultimately up to the team, but as a partner we’ve strongly requested that Tsunoda be given the chance to drive and test in a Red Bull car,” he said.

“We want to at least give him the opportunity to showcase his ability. I’ve also spoken directly with Christian about this. He hasn’t ruled it out. Nothing has been decided yet, but I think we need to proceed properly.”