Dubai: President of the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) Mohammed Ben Sulayem affirmed that the 2025 Formula 1 Qatar Airways Qatar Grand Prix will set a new standard for the importance of the Middle East in the Formula 1 Championship and in the future of motorsports globally, as the battle for the drivers’ title approaches its decisive moments.

The penultimate round of the Formula 1 Championship for this year will take place next Sunday at Lusail International Circuit, which has come to play a pivotal role in nurturing future talent and supporting the FIA’s efforts to expand global participation in motorsports.

QNA file photo from 2024 of President of the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) Mohammed Ben Sulayem

Qatar provides an ideal environment for ambitious young and professional drivers, offering a clear and progressive pathway to reach the highest levels in Formula 1. The expansion of karting programs is the latest evidence of this, with the Middle East Formula 4 Championship as well as investments in training race officials and volunteers.

The FIA President said that the Qatar Grand Prix was not merely a race, but a symbol of the country’s ambition in developing it from grassroots to the global stage.

He added that Lusail International Circuit is more than a global platform for Formula 1, as it stands as a testament to their shared vision, integrating innovation, sustainability, and a deep commitment to the future of motorsports.

He pointed out that the Middle East has become a central player in the Formula 1 calendar, saying that the Qatar Grand Prix demonstrates their confidence in the region and its vital role in promoting inclusivity and building an enthusiastic fan base, which is essential to FIA’s strategy for growth and development.

Since Qatar began hosting Formula 1 races in 2021, Lusail International Circuit has become an essential stop on the championship schedule, thanks to its advanced design featuring 16 turns and multiple overtaking zones that add high competitiveness to the races.

The circuit is also known for its stunning night lighting, which adds a unique visual atmosphere to the race, along with the modern facilities introduced during upgrades to the 5.38-kilometer track, aimed at enhancing the experience for both drivers and fans.

The FIA continues its efforts to make motorsports more inclusive and diverse, with a focus on providing equal opportunities for talent through pioneering global programs that ensure the sport’s continued success in the Middle East.

The FIA Karting Nations Cup for the Middle East and North Africa, launched by Ben Sulayem in 2020, is an important part of this vision. This year’s edition, held last month in Lusail by the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF), achieved remarkable success, attracting more than 170 drivers from 18 countries across the region.

Toni Breidinger may be only 26 years old, but she carries ambitions far beyond her years. She wants her mark on motorsports to echo in the same way Danica Patrick’s influence reshaped NASCAR.

Patrick carved out space for women in the sport and showed she could run toe-to-toe with stock car racing’s best, as evidenced by her 2013 Daytona 500 pole and a top-10 finish in that same race. Breidinger hopes to spark that same fire in young female racers, and considers that impact just as meaningful as anything she might accomplish behind the wheel.

While several drivers measure their success solely by the wins, trophies, or championships they bag, Breidinger builds her vision of legacy on something different.

“There’s so much I want to achieve, career-wise, but I think if I look at something as my legacy, I want to hopefully create a more welcoming environment, hopefully pave a path for females in the sport. I think that’s been the most rewarding thing for me this year is just the young girls coming up to me and saying that I inspire them or that they’re starting to race because of me,” she said.

For her, that response and the drive to leave an impact outweigh any finish she has recorded or any campaign she has represented. Breidinger sees herself in those young girls because she once stood exactly where they stand now, wide-eyed, ambitious, and searching for a reflection of what might be possible.

When she speaks to younger generations of women trying to break barriers, whether in motorsports or in another male-dominated field, or any pursuit they feel drawn to, she offers the same message every time: “Don’t be afraid to be the first you.”

Breidinger urges women and young girls to learn from her experiences, given that her own path to NASCAR has looked nothing like she imagined as a child. It has not been perfect, predictable, or linear and has come with challenges, moments of doubt, and stretches filled with highs and lows. Yet she believes those wrenches shape athletes for competition, and her story offers crucial insight to those looking in.

With a season-best finish of P18 at Rockingham Speedway, two top-20s, and 13 top-25s during her first full-time Truck Series stint this year, the California native accepted her big leap to the first rung of the top 3 series in the sport. “I think it was more of a learning curve than what I was probably anticipating,” she added.

Yet, she maintains that the same results are not the sole measure of her year, with her sights set on making a larger impact, while climbing the ranks towards the front of the field.

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NASCAR’s reputation has been dragged through the mud of late, with the organization’s executives having come out of recent pre-trial depositions particularly poorly as preparations continue for 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports’ antitrust lawsuit against it to go to trial.

The lawsuit centers around the new charter agreement, which was signed by all teams barring 23XI (Which is co-owned by Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan) and FRM in 2024, with the two outliers alleging “monopolistic” behaviour on the part of NASCAR. And while talks were recently held over a potential settlement, an agreement could not be reached, hence the ongoing pre-trial depositions and the rapidly approaching trip to the courtroom in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Dec. 1st.

This deposition has seen previously private messages between NASCAR executives emerge, in which 23XI co-owner and Joe Gibbs Racing driver Hamlin was labeled “plain stupid” for his participation in the now-defunct rival Superstar Racing Experience (SRX), with NASCAR President Steve O’Donnell going on to say, “Need to put a knife in this trash series.”

NASCAR commissioner Steve Phelps has also come out of the past few days poorly, with messages from 2023 having been revealed in which he called Hall of Famer Richard Childress “an idiot,” adding, “Childress needs to be taken out back and flogged. He’s a stupid redneck who owes his entire fortune to NASCAR.”

Unsurprisingly, Childress’ team has since released a strongly worded statement claiming that it may yet seek legal action in response. 

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But while all of this trash talk may come as a shock to many on the outside, it appears that insiders have been well aware of growing tensions between NASCAR brass and teams for some time.

A recently reemerged 2018 interview with three-time Cup Series champion Tony Stewart suddenly makes a whole lot more sense, with the now 54-year-old having sent a stern warning out regarding the direction NASCAR was heading in.

“If it changes at the same rate, we won’t even recognize it from when I started,” Stewart told Kyle Petty. “I remember 20 of us drivers went about, I don’t know, five years ago maybe, six years ago, and sat with NASCAR and said, ‘These are the things that we think will help make the sport better.’ 

“And a person in NASCAR that I won’t name sat there and looked me square in the eye and said that everything that we were talking about and what I was saying was 180 degrees backwards from what they thought was going to fix it. 

“And this is a guy that never worked on a racecar, never driven a racecar, that worked for an auto manufacturer that came in and all of a sudden he was smarter than everybody that’s ever been around the sport and driven racecars for 20 plus years. 

“And that’s kind of when I was like, ‘We’re in bad shape, we’re in trouble, having somebody like this guy that’s changing the direction of what’s going to happen.’”

Now, seven years later, NASCAR is heading to the courtroom, with teams and executives having taken their disagreements over the direction of the series to the public forum.

After Trackhouse Racing’s owner, Justin Marks, recently teased an increase in its partnership with energy drink brand Red Bull beyond its NASCAR Cup Series team, the team has now announced a major expansion in its sponsorship package with the Austrian company for the 2026 season.

Spearheaded by Red Bull-sponsored athletes and Trackhouse teammates, Shane van Gisbergen and Connor Zilisch, the brand will sponsor 25 races next NASCAR season combined across the former’s No. 97 and the latter’s No. 88, marking a major increase from its six combined last season. It will also continue to serve as the team’s official energy drinks partner, as it did for the first time in 2025.

Trackhouse’s Red Bull liveries were revealed on Tuesday, with the energy drink brand’s enigmatic deep blue, red, and yellow scheme, as has become a staple in the Formula 1 world over the last two decades, proudly on display.

“It means a lot to have the number No. 97 on my Cup car,” Shane, who just completed his first full-time Cup Series campaign, stated. “It’s a number that means so much to my family and me, so to see it on my car for the first time was surreal. I love the red flash designs on both sides of the car. It’s going to look epic on the track.”

The now six-time race winner’s switch from No. 88 for 2026 was recently revealed in a video by Trackhouse, in which he, Zilisch, and Ross Chastain all read letters regarding their choice of number. Shane’s proved particularly touching, with his dad, Robert, reading aloud a letter from back home in New Zealand, reflecting on the family’s racing history with the No. 97.

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“Hi, mate. I hear you’re running 97, NASCAR Cup Series next year,” Robert said in the video, which saw Shane get understandably teary-eyed. “It means so much to our family. Right from the beginning, both of us ran 97 in motocross. We both ran it in speedway. Mum (Karen) would have been absolutely trapped. 

“Over the years, 97 was the legacy in New Zealand and Australia in all forms of motorsport. So, so proud you’re running it in the USA. And also, even when you won national titles, where you’re obliged to run number one, you still carried on 97. So proud, mate.”

Shane, having taken a moment to collect himself, commented, “Yeah, that’s nice. The stuff he wrote about mum gets me, so, yeah.” Karen tragically passed away aged 64 in 2024.

“Blown away by it,” the 36-year-old Cup Series Rookie of the Year later said. “To be able to represent my number in NASCAR and hopefully people know me as 97 now.”

As for 19-year-old Zilisch, who is carrying over the No. 88 from his record-setting Xfinity Series season during which he also ran part-time in the Cup for Trackhouse, he commented on the Red Bull livery, “It’s so cool to be driving No. 88 in the Cup Series. The number is historic and so many great drivers have driven it. I certainly have big shoes to fill but I can’t wait to get the season started. 

“I love the blue streaks across the side of car. The dark matte blue allows the light blue streaks to pop. I’m excited to have it on track next year.”

The 2026 season will mark Zilisch’s first full-time Cup Series campaign, making the move to replace Daniel Suarez after winning 10 Xfinity races in 2025.

Richard Childress (pictured) issued a statement Monday following the release of  comments from NASCAR Commissioner Steve Phelps that were made public last week during trial preparations for the upcoming antitrust lawsuit. Childress says he is considering legal action.

Phelps’ comments were originally made back in 2023 after Childress was a guest on SiriusXM. Phelps called Childress “a stupid redneck who owes his entire fortune to nascar”.

RCR statement:

“RCR and Richard Childress are deeply disappointed by the insensitive and defamatory statements made about Mr. Childress in recently surfaced text messages between NASCAR executives Steve Phelps and Brian Herbst. These comments reflect the way certain NASCAR executives have historically viewed and treated many team owners like Mr. Childress, who have devoted their lives to strengthening the sport for its fans, its sponsors, and all who compete in it. RCR and Richard Childress are equally disappointed for the NASCAR fans, with whom Mr. Childress closely identifies given his humble and hard-working background.

Mr. Childress and the organization will issue no further statements regarding these or other defamatory text messages that have recently surfaced, as legal action is being contemplated and discussed with legal counsel.”

Phelps’ comments can be seen on page 2 of the document below:

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