A shoutout to all those who aspire to make a mark in motorsport. The Toyota Gazoo Racing UAE Academy is back for season two. If you’re interested in participating, registrations for the programme are underway and will remain active until February 16, 2024. There’s also a cap of 2,100 applications. Once breached, the registration window will automatically close. Click here to register yourself.

Those participating in the Toyota Gazoo Racing UAE Academy 2024 season will be scrutinised on four fronts – physical prowess, media finesse, driving skills and mental acuity. Once registered, contestants will be auditioned on a first-come, first-served basis to check their suitability for the qualification stage. Comprising the testing regime will be kart racing and an interview.

The shortlisted 48 contestants will then head towards the qualifications and development stages. After further gruelling screenings, just four will progress to the final stage. The final winner will claim the Toyota Gazoo Racing Ambassador title for 2024 and get to drive a Toyota GR Supra for the year.

BMW Group, along with AGMC, its authorised importer of vehicles in Dubai, Sharjah, and the Northern Emirates, has partnered with Dubai Autodrome. According to the agreement, a BMW XM has been confirmed as the safety car for the 2024 racing season. The partnership will come into effect from the first event of the new season – the Hankook 24H Dubai race, scheduled for January 26-28.

The XM is a landmark model for BMW. It was created to mark BMW M’s 50th anniversary. Also, the XM became the first model solely developed by BMW’s M division after the M1 in the late 1970s.

After the first racing event mentioned above, Dubai Autodrome will host several more until April 2024. The list includes the Asia Le Mans Series, DSBK National Championship, Formula 4 UAE, Formula Regional Middle East, and NGK Spark Plugs Race Weekends.

The fifteenth edition of the Formula One Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit is live. The four-day event welcomed thousands on the first day. This year’s Abu Dhabi GP is expected to be the biggest ever. There are several reasons behind that, including all-new vantage points, such as the West Straight Grandstand and the Deck at Two hospitality space overlooking turn 2 of the famous track. Apart from that, visitors have multiple other avenues for entertainment. The list includes concerts from international artists and musical performances. Some of the names that will headline shows include Ava Max (pop singer), Tiesto (electronic dance music), Chris Brown (R&B), Shania Twain (American country music) and Foo Fighters.

The new Abu Dhabi GP app is where one will find detailed day-wise information. Also, it is where one can purchase tickets for the events planned. All ticket holders have access to the F1 Fan Zone and a one-day complimentary access to one of Yas Island’s theme parks and entry to Louvre Abu Dhabi and Qasr Al Watan.

Red Bull racing driver Max Verstappen has already bagged the 2023 Formula One World Driver’s Championship by winning 18 of the 23-race season. If he wins in Abu Dhabi, he will become the first driver in Formula One history to win 19 races in one season. 

American auto giant General Motors (GM) has confirmed that it has formally registered with the FIA as a Formula 1 power unit manufacturer, starting in the 2028 season. This builds on the development from earlier this year when GM announced its intention to compete in the Formula One World Championship with Andretti Cadillac as the team name.

An Expression of Interest was filed with the FIA by Andretti Cadillac earlier this year. It got the relevant approvals to compete in the Formula One World Championship last month. GM says the development and testing of prototype technology is underway. The brand’s president, Mark Reuss, is full of confidence. He said:

We are thrilled that our new Andretti Cadillac F1 entry will be powered by a GM power unit. With our deep engineering and racing expertise, we’re confident we’ll develop a successful power unit for the series, and position Andretti Cadillac as a true works team.

Monaco-based Maserati MSG Racing has announced the drivers’ names who will compete in season 10 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. The 26-year-old Maximilian Günther, who has extended his contract into 2024, is the first name. In his first season with Maserati MSG Racing in 2023, he bagged two pole positions and four podiums. He also helped Maserati claim its first victory in World Championship single-seaters in 66 years. For the German, the 2024 Formula E season will be his sixth in World Championship motorsport.

The second name is Jehan Daruvala. With four race wins and 18 podiums in Formula 2, the 24-year-old Indian is among the list of promising talents. In the 2019 Formula 3 season, Jehan emerged as one of the title contenders. That helped him progress into the Formula 2 category in 2020, a path every race driver yearns for when entering Formula One is the ultimate goal. Jehan has also had a taste for Formula E this year during two rookie test experiences.

Season 10 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship will be the longest. A new race in Tokyo, Japan, has been included in the calendar. 

The 2023 Formula One World Championship has 23 races. That makes it one of the longest seasons ever. However, it will be bettered by the 2024 season, with the calendar packing 24 races. In other words, the 2024 F1 season will be the longest ever. And just like the ongoing season, the following year’s season finale will be at Yas Marina, a.k.a Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Dates are out as well: 5-8 December 2024. The 2023 Abu Dhabi GP will likely break records on and off the track, surpassing the attendance numbers of 2022’s edition.

RM Sotheby recently conducted a charity auction under the banner “Charles Leclerc for Emilia-Romagna!”. As the name suggests, it was personally undertaken by the current Ferrari F1 driver Charles Leclerc, and the auction was to help those estimated 20,000 displaced people living in Emilia-Romagna. Four items, all worn by the F1 driver during the 2023 Monaco Grand Prix, were put up to raise money. The Bell HP77 full-face helmet became the most expensive racing helmet ever sold at an auction at EUR 306,000. The second item, the race suit, bagged the highest bid of EUR 61,000, whereas the third (rain-stained gloves) and fourth (race-worn boots) items were sold for EUR 42,000 and EUR 20,400, respectively. Put all those numbers together, and the sum total is EUR 429,600.