Ten days ago, Neel Jani would not even have dared to dream of this sporting success. At short notice, the 38-year-old from Biel received an invitation to take part in the 12 Hours of Sebring. At Chip Ganassi Racing, one of the most renowned and successful U.S. teams of all, he replaced Kevin Magnussen, who had also switched to Formula 1 at short notice.

Jani knew the archaic Sebring race track well, having started 2017 with the Rebellion LMP1 from pole position, which did not bring the team any luck at the time. After only 18 leading laps in the starting phase, the Swiss team, which also included Sébastien Buemi, retired after ten hours.

Hussar ride of the New Zealander
The race, which was held for the 70th time since 1952, was completely different for Neel Jani on Saturday. The Cadillac DPi, driven by Earl Bamber (NZ), Alex Lynn (GB) and himself, always remained in the leading group, but only in the second half of the race within direct striking distance of the leaders. These included six of the seven Daytona Prototypes from Cadillac and Acura over the course of the half-marathon.

Bamber, who was a member of the Porsche LMP1 team with the Bernese years ago, made the triumph clear in the final hour with a hurricane ride. Twice he lost the lead due to a slight collision with a GT car and a spin, twice he regained it and thus secured the coveted victory in the endurance classic for his team. Afterwards, the New Zealander spoke of one of his best and at the same time worst drives ever.

Historic Swiss success
For Neel Jani, it is one of his greatest endurance racing successes, which include the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 2016 World Championship title with Porsche. Previously, the only Swiss winners of the Twelve Hours of Sebring were Jo Siffert with Hans Herrmann (D) in 1968 in a Porsche 907 and Marcel Fässler in 2013 with Benoît Tréluyer (F) and Oliver Jarvis (GB) in an Audi R18 e-tron quattro.

Together with the 24 Hours of Daytona and 24 Hours of Le Mans, the 12 Hours of Sebring form the Triple Crown of Endurance Racing. In 2012 only, this race in the heart of Florida was the first ever to count towards the newly launched FIA World Championship, since then it has been part of the American Sports Car Championship.

This video shows the final phase and Neel Janin cheering in the pits.

No chance for Toyota
At the world championship round the day before, the 1000 miles of Sebring, Sébastien Buemi finished a more or less satisfactory second place with Toyota. That was the best the 2021 unbeaten Toyota Gazoo Racing Team could do with the GR010 hypercar.

The classification via the so-called Balance of Performance was too unfavorable for the only hybrid model in the field and second place was therefore the best possible result.

First WEC victory for Alpine
But Alpine rejoiced for the first time thanks to the virtually unchallenged victory of Nicolas Lapierre, André Negrão and Matthieu Vaxiviere. The Alpine A480 with naturally aspirated Gibson V8 engine led from the start to the premature finish, except for the different pit stop phases. Lapierre also has the Swiss passport, but drives under the French flag all his life.

The race was stopped early after about seven hours due to an approaching storm. It had previously been interrupted due to the accident of the second Toyota hypercar in the first half of the race for the purpose of recovering the wreckage and track repairs.

Strong performance by Rahel Frey and her partners
None of the other Swiss at the start of the two endurance races in Sebring made it onto the podium. Louis Delétraz narrowly missed it in fourth place in LMP2 in the WRC round.

Outstanding was the fifth place of Rahel Frey and her two partners in the GTE-Am, which made them the best-ranked Ferrari team in the twelve-car class.

WEC Sebing Classification IMSA Sebring Overall Classification

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According to Supercup coordinator Oliver Schwab, only two of the Porsche Supercup teams take the time and trouble to present their team at a special event. Fach Auto Tech from Sattel is one and did so on Thursday evening at the inviting Porsche Center Zug in Rotkreuz.

Commitment on three levels
For years, PZ Zug has been one of the loyal and valuable partners of the team from Schwyz, which is involved at three levels in 2022. The basis is the Porsche Sports Cup Suisse for customers, the middle is the Carrera Cup Deutschland and the top is the Supercup.

There is no skimping on the material. Alex Fach has purchased eight new Porsche 992 GT3 Cup cars, mentioning that some of the "used cars" change hands for more money than they cost new. Which shows how much demand there is for the latest generation of Cup cars and how well the 30 GT3 one-make cups from Stuttgart are doing worldwide.

Mixture of youth and routine
Keyword generation: young is also the top pairing in the driver squad of Fach Auto Tech 2022. Alexander Fach and Lorcan Hanafin each count 19 years. In the German Cup, the Swabian Christof Langer, a 55-year-old golf course operator who is almost part of the family, occupies the third car, and in the Supercup Jukka Honkavuori (29), who like Hanafin is new to the team.

As the overall runner-up, the Briton was the shooting star of the Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain 2021, which also earned him an invitation to the Porsche Junior Sighting at the end of the year. The experienced Finn won the Porsche GT3 Cup Finland for the first time in 2014 and has competed in the Supercup and Carrera Cup Deutschland in the past two years.

A stroke of luck in Dubai
It was not a foregone conclusion that Alexander Fach would be driving for his father's team. On the contrary, the two-time Swiss Porsche GT3 champion already had a contract ready to sign from another team for the German Cup in January when a serendipity occurred at the Dubai 24 Hours.

Through the mediation of Swiss sponsors, a group of investors from Dubai took a liking to the youngster from Schwyz, and they immediately made the double program possible for him. Because the budget and all the conditions were right, Alexander opted for Fach Auto Tech.

No extra sausage for the son
To avoid any suspicion of favoritism among his teammates, another specialist race engineer looks after the team boss's son, who in turn takes Hanafin under his wing. The healthy intra-team rivalry is supposed to drive them to best performances.

While the Englishman with half Irish blood has set his sights on winning the rookie title, the Swiss remains more cautious with his expectations - even though his goal is basically the same.

Alexander Fach: "It's clear that I'll measure myself against my teammate and try to beat him. Otherwise, I haven't really set myself any goals other than to keep improving steadily and take a step forward as a race driver."

Anticipation for Monaco
He says it is a huge leap to move from the Porsche Sports Cup Suisse to the German and virtually the world championship in Formula 1.

Instead of six, there will now be 16 weekends with a total of 20 races, starting with the Supercup at Imola on April 24 - a track he knows very well - and ending with the German finale as part of the ADAC GT Masters at Hockenheim on October 23. Fach jr. is already looking forward to the premiere in the guardrail channel of Monaco in May with anticipation and awe.

Realistic expectations
For Alex Fach, the tenth season in the Supercup with his son in the team is definitely a special one, although he does not want to make this known to the outside world.

Alex Fach: "On the race track, I no longer see Alex as my son, but as one of my drivers with the same duties. We have to behave professionally and distance ourselves from each other. I expect all the drivers to improve their performance, to develop and drive each other."

However, his expectations are realistic. It is dangerous to talk about rankings, he says.

Alex Fach: "In the current starting list, I've counted twelve to fifteen names that can finish on the podium. Actually, my drivers are not among them, but things are so close in the Porsche Cups that anything is possible."

Who will succeed Alexander Fach?
It will also be exciting to see who will succeed Alexander Fach as GT3 champion in the Porsche Sports Cup Suisse. Since runner-up Dominik Fischli is also moving to the international arena (with a Porsche team in the GT World Challenge Endurance Cup), team owner Gregor Burkard, coached by Marcel Fässler at Sportec, would be a candidate. Or nine-time champion Jean-Paul von Burg, if he does indeed get back into the action.

Perhaps one of the four Fach customers will also be smiling at the end. Peter Hegglin, Alexander Schwarzer, Jan Klingelnberg and Ernst Inderbitzin are motivated to give their best with their new cars serviced by Fach Auto Tech and to race for podium places.

The season kicks off next week with the official tests at the Circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet and on the last weekend in April with the first PSCS weekend at the Red Bull Ring in Austria.

Subject Auto Tech

Porsche Sports Cup Suisse

Motorsport fans are looking forward to Formula 1 in particular, whose ten teams will be competing with completely new cars (ranking and explanations in the video). Due to the Corona crisis, the introduction of the new technical regulations was postponed until 2022. This gave the teams a year longer to implement the regulations.

Completely new appearance
The most important points are now significantly simplified front and rear wings with a prescribed design that generates less air turbulence. Slipstreaming and overtaking are thus to be promoted.

Added to this is the return of the ground effect. The new underbody creates suction, which provides more downforce without complex wing systems. In addition, the size of the Pirelli tires has increased from 13 inches to 18 inches.

On the powertrain side, there will be no major changes apart from improvements by the individual manufacturers within the limits of what is permitted. New engine regulations will not apply until 2026.

How fast is the beautiful Alfa Romeo Sauber C42?
Despite the supposedly rigid aerodynamics regulations, the designers found quite different approaches. Ferrari, for example, with its pointed nose, and Mercedes with its narrow sidepods. In general, the new GP cars appear more elegant and attractive than before.

One of the most beautiful is the C42 from Alfa Romeo Racing (gallery left), built by Sauber Motorsport in Hinwil. The weekend will show whether it is also fast. It shouldn't be up to newcomer Valtteri Bottas (gallery on the right), after all a ten-time GP race winner and World Championship runner-up in 2019 and 2020. With the second Alfa Sauber driver, Zhou Guanyu (center gallery), China is represented in the driver field for the first time.

Mercedes bluff or disillusionment?
Although defending champion Max Verstappen in the new Red Bull Honda was the fastest in the pre-tests in Bahrain, his strength or that of his opponents is highly uncertain. The teams operated with different intentions in their set-up work and only reveal the cards in qualifying.

Then it will also become clear whether Mercedes-GP really still has problems with the dethroned record winner Lewis Hamilton, as the lap times so far suggest. The true balance of power will only become clear after a few races.

Live on Swiss or Austria TV
Swiss television will also broadcast all races live in 2022. From Bahrain, Michael Weinmann and expert Marc Surer will report from qualifying on Saturday from 3:50 to 5:10 p.m. and from the race on Sunday from 3:20 to 6 p.m.

Alternatively, Swiss TV viewers can follow the action on ORF1, starting at 3:45 p.m. on Saturday and with the news at 2:40 p.m. on Sunday.

First World Endurance Championship round on Friday evening
The racing weekend kicks off on Friday evening European time with the FIA World Endurance Championship at the SuperSebring 2022 event in Florida. Although the first round of the World Endurance Championship is called 1000 Miles of Sebring, this will not be reached within the race duration, which is limited to eight hours.

We have been looking at the field of competitors with a number of Swiss drivers (including Sébastien Buemi in a Toyota Hypercar as well as Nico Müller, Louis Delétraz, Fabio Scherer and Mathias Beche in identical Oreca LMP2s) in the Preview already pointed out. The race will start on Friday, March 18, at 12 noon local time (5 p.m. CET).

Free sports channel Eurosport1 will tune in live for 55 minutes at 6:15 p.m. and then stay tuned from 9:15 p.m. until the finish at 1 a.m. All results and a live timing are available at this Link.

Neel Jani wants to follow Marcel Fässler
The actual centerpiece of the oldest sports car event in the USA will be the 12-hour race on Saturday, March 19, which will be held for the 70th time since 1952. From a Swiss perspective, it is particularly interesting this year.

As reported, Neel Jani is stepping in at short notice for Kevin Magnussen, who has moved to HaasF1, at Chip Ganassi Racing. The 38-year-old from Biel has a winning car in the form of the Cadillac DPi fielded by the US top team and, in Earl Bamber and Alex Lynn, two driver colleagues who can realize its potential. The trio will start from position 4 on the second row.

The last Swiss overall winner was Marcel Fässler in 2013 with Audi Sport. The "double starters" Delétraz and Scherer in LMP2 and Philip Ellis in a Mercedes-AMG GT3 in the GTD class will be competing for the class win.

Complete race live on the Internet
After the 24 Hours of Daytona in January, the Twelve Hours of Sebring counts as the second round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and the Endurance Cup. The race will start on Saturday, March 19, at 10:40 a.m. local time (3:40 p.m. CET).

Outside the USA and Canada, series organizer IMSA will broadcast the race live over the entire distance. You will find the direct link here. Complete results are available at this Link, the livetiming under this Link.

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With two days of testing - the so-called Prologue (for scenes see video by Lanky Turtle) - the FIA World Endurance Championship, or World Endurance Championship for short, kicked off its tenth season at Sebring last weekend.

Memories of Marcel Fässler
The 6019-meter-long and sometimes very bumpy Sebring International Raceway is the cradle of American sports car racing. The first 12-hour race took place 70 years ago and the first WEC race ever was held at the same venue ten years ago.

In 2012, Marcel Fässler was on pole position in the fastest of the three Audi R18 cars in the traditional Twelve Hours of Sebring, which counts towards the World Championship for the first time in the modern era, but only finished eleventh after various problems.

Three years ago, the world championship teams returned to the archaic race track in the heart of Florida and held their own 1000-mile race on the day before the US classic. This Friday, starting at 12 noon local time (5 p.m. CET) over the same distance or a maximum race duration of eight hours, will be the opening round of the 2022 World Championship.

Defending champion Toyota again with two hybrid hypercars
The defending champions will be the undefeated 2021 Toyota Gazoo Racing Team with its two GR010 Hybrids modified within the permitted limits. The biggest change is the change in tire size to 18 inches front and rear.

This is accompanied by modifications to the body to maintain airflow and stay within the required aerodynamic performance window. This is visible, among other things, in the enlarged rear wind deflector and the fin of the engine cover.

Racing fuel from biomass
The 3.5-liter V6 engine itself, like all powerplants for the 2022 WEC cars, runs for the first time on 100 percent renewable fuel from unit supplier TotalEnergies.

The Excellium Racing 100 is made from wine residues and agricultural materials. This reduces CO2 emissions by at least 65 percent and contributes to greater sustainability in motorsport.

Sébastien Buemi wants to get back to the top
The Swiss spearhead in the top-class field is and remains Sébastien Buemi (center gallery). The driver from Vaud is aiming for his third world championship title with Toyota after 2014 and 2018/19 as well as his fourth triumph at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June.

Last year, his number 8 team had to give way to Kamui Kobayashi, Mike Conway and José María López, who also won the world championship. The former Sauber GP driver Kobayashi has recently taken on a dual role as team principal and driver.

Japanese replaces Japanese
Meanwhile, Kazuki Nakajima, who retired as a race driver, is now vice chairman of Toyota Gazoo Racing Europe, the operational base of the WEC team. Nakajima will support the team at the races and mentor his successor on the driver's side, Ryo Hirakawa. The Japanese, who competed in the LMP2 class at Le Mans in 2016 and 2017, will drive the #8 hypercar alongside Sébastien Buemi and Brendon Hartley.

Waiting for more opponents
For the time being, Toyota's opponents in the hypercar class are, as in 2021, an Alpine with a Gibson V8 engine and a Glickenhaus with a turbo engine from Pipo in France, both without a hybrid. A second Glickenhaus 007 LMH will join them at Le Mans.

Peugeot Sport still needs a longer development period and will not enter the fray with the revolutionary 9X8 (hypercar without rear wing) until after Le Mans. The top class will then really get moving from 2023 with additional manufacturers such as Porsche, Ferrari and Cadillac. Audi, on the other hand, has suspended its LMDh program for the time being.

Four instead of only three fast Swiss in LMP2
The LMP2 class, which consisted of 15 Oreca 07-Gibson cars at the Sebring prologue, has the largest number of drivers. Swiss driver representatives in three different teams here are Louis Delétraz, Nico Müller, Mathias Beche and, at short notice, Fabio Scherer.

While ELMS champion Delétraz and returnee Beche have plenty of LMP2 experience, two-time DTM runner-up Müller has only completed one WEC race (2017 in Shanghai). His team Vector Sport is also new to the WEC business.

Last year's two-time winner Fabio Scherer, on the other hand, is moving to the European equivalent, the ELMS. Originally, he was only scheduled to start in the 12-hour race at Sebring on Saturday, which Delétraz will also contest. Because Alex Brundle is not racing for Team Interpol due to a positive coronation test, the man from Engelberg will be racing at short notice in the WEC and on the following day in the IMSA Endurance Cup race (then with High Class Racing).

Neel Jani in the factory Cadillac instead of Porsche
Small but mighty is the GT king class LMGTE Pro with two factory cars each from Porsche Motorsport and AF Corse/Ferrari as well as a new Corvette C8.R (gallery left). For the first time, the Americans have signed up for a complete WEC season and not just for Le Mans or sporadic entries as before.

After Neel Jani no longer received a GT entry, even though he had been fighting for the 2021 World Championship title as the partner of Frenchman Kevin Estre until the very end, Switzerland is no longer represented here.

The man from Biel himself will make a short-notice appearance in the 12 Hours of Sebring, where he will replace Kevin Magnussen at Chip Ganassi/Cadillac Racing, who has also returned to Formula 1 at short notice. It's quite possible that more will come of this, because Jani has not yet fixed a race program for 2022.

Three Swiss Ferrari drivers
In the LMGTE Am class, each team has to let a driver with bronze and silver status get behind the wheel, so in the end, non-professionals tip the scales here.

Thus, in a Ferrari 488 GTE Evo WEC rookie Christoph Ulrich and the experienced aviation entrepreneur Thomas Flohr as well as Rahel Frey in the all-female team of Iron Lynx (AutoSprintCH reported). In the gallery on the right, the three fast women can be seen inspecting the track with their race engineer.

WEC entry of Niki Leutwiler
Although he will soon be 62 years old, Niki Leutwiler wants to try again. In recent years, he has proven that he is still fast in various GT3 and GT4 series.

The versatile entrepreneur from Feusisberg is familiar with the big stage from his two LMP2 races at Le Mans in 2014 and 2016. Leutwiler is now returning to it this summer with Porsche factory driver Matteo Cairoli as the driving force in Team Project 1 from Germany.

58 hours of racing on six circuits
In total, there are only six races on the 2022 WEC calendar, five of which are on classic sports car circuits, and Bahrain cannot really be counted among them yet, despite the fact that it will again host the final round.

• March 18: 1000 miles Sebring
• May 7: 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps
• June 11/12: 24 Hours of Le Mans
• July 10: 6 Hours of Monza
• September 11: 6 hours Fuji
• November 11: Bahrain 8 Hours

The race at Sebring will be televised live on Eurosport 1 from 7 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. on Friday, March 18. A livetiming and the complete results of all races in Sebring are available at this Link.

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Valentino Rossi in a short interview in English and during the first tests with the WRT Audi in Valencia - of course with start number 46, as in MotoGP.

After retiring from motorcycle racing, Valentino Rossi is continuing his career in GT3 sports cars. The Italian is familiar with this category from various endurance races, such as the 12 Hours of Abu Dhabi with Ferrari partner team Kessel Racing.

Start in the GT3 king class
For his future on four wheels, only the best is good enough for "Vale" - and that's what he gets in the GT World Challenge Europe. The current champion team WRT from Belgium is fielding several Audi R8 LMS evo 2 cars and manning one with Valentino Rossi and Belgian Audi factory driver Frédéric Vervisch in the full championship.

In the five endurance races (Endurance Cup), Nico Müller will be the third man. It had been Rossi's wish to have two professionals as partners and to compete in the top Pro category.

Plump and perfectly filled racing calendar
For the recently 30-year-old from Berne, who will thus compete in three championships in 2022, this constellation means more than any other long-distance pairing to date.

Nico Müller: "I was really keen on this project because it fits perfectly in terms of timing alongside the DTM and the World Endurance Championship in the LMP2 car. Rossi is a legend and Audi Sport obviously thought I was the right team partner for him with Vervisch. It's an honor to be able to race with him. For me, he's been a hero in motorsport since childhood."

Rossi still needs some time
The Swiss is aware that all eyes will be on this superteam. Expectations are high for all of them, but he is still dampening them somewhat.

Nico Müller: "Vale is a cool guy and very likeable. He has super basic speed, but certainly still needs some experience. We have to remain realistic that it won't be easy for us until he finds the final tenths."

First official appearance next week
Nico Müller has no doubt that this will happen. Rossi has already completed several test days, most recently this week with him.

At the beginning of next week, they will take part in the official GTWC test drives at Le Castellet and then also face the photographers together for the first time.

The season kicks off on April 2-3 with the first three-hour endurance race at Imola.

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As of March 1, 2022, the drift team from Emmetten will be the official brand ambassador of Toyota Gazoo Racing. As part of the expansion of the existing national partnership, Toyota Switzerland is supplying two brand new Toyota GR Yaris as team vehicles.

Another project supported by Toyota Switzerland is the Toyota GR Supra. This is used in the American Formula Drift and various other racing series.

Experienced drift athletes
Yves Meyer is active as project manager and Joshua Reynolds as managing director of Drift Force GmbH. They also regularly organize drift events and courses in Switzerland and Europe.

In addition, the two racing enthusiast entrepreneurs are successful drivers and have already celebrated notable successes in various racing series. In 2019, they founded the Drift Force Racing Team and one year later launched the Formula Drift project, which involves involvement in the world's most important drift series in the USA.

New experience for the boss
In February, Christian Künstler (CEO, Toyota AG) visited Drift Force in Emmetten for the handover of the new Toyota GR Yaris. He was able to be introduced to the world of drifting on site. The enthusiasm about this cooperation is very big on both sides and connected with many emotions.

More space at the new location
The new headquarters for Drift Force is currently being built in Emmetten. There, Meyer and Reynolds will offer the public a look behind the scenes of racing. The new building will provide space for three workshop bays, storage for customer motorsport vehicles and administration space.

The focus is clearly on motorsport technology for a wide range of drift and circuit vehicles. The range is supplemented by technical and optical tuning products and services.

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All drivers and the schedule of Emil Frey Racing are briefly presented in the video.

The team will therefore contest twelve race weekends in the 2022 season - two more than in the previous year. The first round of the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup will take place on the first weekend in April. Three weeks later, the GT Masters season begins at Oschersleben.

Another change for Emil Frey Racing in 2022 will be the starting numbers, with two of the three Huracán GT3 EVOs reflecting Lamborghini's heritage. This year, #19 and #63 will be used, alluding to Lamborghini's founding in 1963, while #14 - the lucky number of Emil Frey Racing team principal Lorenz Frey-Hilti - will remain on the third car.

Fresh challenges and new focus for the season
The team's entry into the ADAC GT Masters is an exciting new challenge for drivers and engineers alike, especially with regard to the tire regulations. Unlike in the GT World Challenge Europe, the tires in the GT Masters may not be preheated. This means that much more emphasis is placed on the optimum setup and the right balance for the drivers, which is crucial for a good result.

While the GT Masters presents new challenges, the team is very familiar with the GT World Challenge Europe, having won the Silver Cup in the drivers' and teams' championships in 2021, as well as claiming the Silver Cup in the Sprint and Endurance Cup.

Still with factory support from Lamborghini
In the 2022 season, Emil Frey Racing will once again be able to draw on the experience and talent of the Lamborghini Squadra Corse factory driver squad and will also receive factory support in other respects.

Mirko Bortolotti and Albert Costa will compete in the GT World Challenge with the number 63 car together with last year's team driver, Jack Aitken. Aitken and Costa will also compete together in the GT Masters in the same car.

Junior driver Arthur Rougier, recently announced for Lamborghini GT3, will remain with Emil Frey Racing for a second season, supported by factory drivers Franck Perera (GT Masters) and Giacomo Altoè (GT World Challenge). Rougier will once again compete in the GT World Challenge Europe Esports championship, which he won last season.

After a breakthrough 2021 season, rising Finnish talent Konsta Lappalainen will compete in both championships with the number 14 car as he looks to build on his success in GT racing. Together with Aitken, the 20-year-old's best finish in GT World Challenge Europe last year was fourth overall and third in the Pro class.

Four new drivers in the 2022 squad
There are four new drivers at Lamborghini Squadra Corse this season: Talented Austrian Mick Wishofer joins Lappalainen in the ADAC GT Masters, while Frenchman Léo Roussel competes with Rougier and Altoè in the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup.

Wishofer, a former Formula driver, has experience in the GT Masters, where he claimed one victory and two further podium finishes in 2020. Roussel, who was crowned European Le Mans Series champion in the LMP2 class in 2017, switches from Audi after finishing on the podium twice last year.

South African Stuart White, who raced with CMR in a Bentley last year, will also enter his Lamborghini in the GT World Challenge this year. The final driver in the cockpit of the #19 will be announced in due course.

New EFR website now online
Emil Frey Racing presents at the same time with the season announcement their brand new website, which comes in a completely new, modern and sporty look.

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The Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN C42, as the new race car from Hinwil is called, is the first design to be subject to the new budget cap.

Like all other competitor cars, it had to be designed and built in accordance with the completely new technical regulations. The main changes relate to the aerodynamics including the underbody. In addition, the new-generation cars now roll on 18-inch tires from Pirelli.

Homage to Alfa Romeo and Sauber Motorsport
The elegant-looking C42 was created under the direction of Technical Director Jan Monchaux. As before, the rear of the car is powered by a Ferrari engine that has been further developed within the permitted limits.

The design was created in the familiar Alfa Romeo Centro Stile. It is intended to recall the history of the Italian brand and also of Sauber Motorsport in Hinwil, where the 30th anniversary of the Formula 1 division will be celebrated in 2022.

New driver duo
The new hopeful from Hinwil will be entrusted to a new driver duo, 10-time GP winner and runner-up Valtteri Bottas from Finland and Chinese Zhou Guanyu. The former Formula 2 driver is the only rookie in the 2022 field.

As before, Poland's Robert Kubica, who has brought along the mineral company Orlen as a sponsor, is a substitute driver who is definitely needed at times.

More world championship points please
As last week's tests, during which the C42 was only seen in camouflage colors, are not yet very meaningful in terms of times, its qualities will only be revealed in qualifying for the first Bahrain GP on March 19-20.

The goal for 2022 is to move up from ninth place in the Constructors' World Championship to the midfield. Whether the C42 has the potential to do so will undoubtedly and relentlessly be revealed by former Mercedes GP driver Valtteri Bottas.

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The circuit ban and the exception for Formula E were the subject of a film report by the NZZ in the run-up to the E-Prix Zurich 2018.

This is not the first attempt to abolish the ban on circuit races imposed after the serious accident at Le Mans in 1955 after almost 67 years. Why should it now finally succeed in 2022?

Christian Wasserfallen: At its spring session, the National Council's transport committee decided on the revision of some articles in the Road Traffic Act. Therefore, this is now a good opportunity to also deal with SVG article 52 paragraphs 1 and 2 regarding the circuit racing ban. For the two Formula E races, an exceptional approval by the Federal Council was needed. However, it is nonsensical if other possible organizers would have to apply to the federal government for an exception each time, because the canton should actually be the licensing authority. In this day and age, safety concerns can no longer be cited as a reason, because nowhere is motorsport safer for participants and spectators than on circuits.

It wouldn't have to fail because of audience interest...

The Formula E races in Zurich and Bern were a hit with the public. In Hockenheim, for example, there are always countless Swiss fans in the stands and in the paddock. Unfortunately, Swiss drivers can never compete in races in their own country, which is practically tantamount to banning a sport or, in the case of professional drivers, a professional ban.

So you are confident that the application will be successful?

There is no longer any need or legitimacy for a ban that practically only exists in Switzerland worldwide. This old braid should be cut off. I think this realization is there and I hope that the National Council in the spring session and subsequently the Council of States will agree.

Don't you anticipate climate policy resistance?

Motorsport is becoming increasingly CO₂-neutral. Each organizer must also clearly formulate an overall balance of such an event in the application and fulfill certain requirements, economically and environmentally. For example, that a public transport connection is guaranteed and that there is no excessive noise pollution. There are many criteria that must be met in a specific project. These are the responsibility of an organizer. After that, it is up to the cantons to grant or refuse approval.

Where should there be circuit races in Switzerland?

Races in cities, as with Formula E, are certainly not the model for the future, because they are very costly. I rather see abandoned airfields, disused army facilities or remote industrial areas as venues. Perhaps an investor will also dare to take on a circuit project once this legal article has finally been abolished. Everything should remain open. Let's look forward to what emerges.

What kind of races do you see? The DTM that you have already attended?

Yes, I like the DTM and the series around it, where many Swiss drivers always do well. The DTM is one of the most important series in Europe, a relatively big box. An ADAC GT Masters, one-make cups, TCR series, junior racing with formula cars, motorcycle racing, etc. would certainly lend themselves.

Would you advocate for it?

There have already been applications for such races, but because of other problems, they were abandoned. If, after the ban is lifted, there is a project ready to go ahead for an event in Switzerland, I would be happy to support it. If we are capable of staging Formula E, Tour de France stages or the Tour de Suisse in Switzerland, we can also organize a motorsport event.

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Formula 1 will start the new season in around a month's time. The season kicks off on the weekend of March 19-20, 2022, in the desert state of Bahrain. As usual, SRF will report live on all races and qualifying sessions from the start of the season.

Nico Müller and Oliver Sittler are the new commentators. They succeed Michael Stäuble, who has retired after around 33 years with SRF. Sittler will make his debut at the SRF microphone on the weekend of March 26/27 at the Saudi Arabian GP.

Much variety in Müller's professional life
Müller will be heard as a commentator for the first time on the weekend of April 23/24 at the Emilia Romagna GP. After that, he will be in action when the F1 dates do not overlap with the DTM and WEC, where the Bernese is chasing points as a racing driver.

Nico Müller: "Being able to live and communicate our sport from the commentator's perspective at the same time during the heyday of my active career honors me greatly. As a racing driver and F1 enthusiast, I'm really looking forward to the 2022 season."

Experienced professionals
German Oliver Sittler (gallery, left) has been working as a freelance TV commentator, presenter, interviewer and track announcer in motorsport since 2000. Most recently, the Würzburg native worked for TV station Eurosport for twelve years, commentating on the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Formula E and the Porsche Supercup.

The SRF team in the top class of motorsport will continue to include Michael Weinmann (center gallery), who will commentate on the GPs in the future, alternating with Müller and Sittler. In addition, Marc Surer (Gallery right) will continue to support the commentators at selected races as an SRF expert.

"They will enrich our live broadcasts".

Dani Bolliger, Head of Live at SRF Sport: "We're looking at the changes in our Formula 1 team with one eye smiling and one eye crying. With a tearful eye, because Michael Stäuble has played a key role in shaping SRF's coverage of the world's racetracks for three decades. We sincerely wish him a well-deserved retirement, but we will miss him as a competent commentator and colleague. On the other hand, we are delighted about the arrival of Nico Müller and Oliver Sittler, both of whom will enrich our live broadcasts with their motorsport expertise. The audience can look forward to the upcoming Formula 1 season on SRF."

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