Motorsports
Williams Bids Emotional Farewell To Franco Colapinto As Driver Secures Alpine F1 Role


During his stint with Williams, Colapinto impressed many by scoring points at the Baku race, where he finished eighth, and once again at the US Grand Prix.Williams team principal James Vowles, who has been pushing for the Argentine driver to secure a role in 2025, commented:Colapinto first made headlines when he debuted with Williams at the 2024 Italian Grand Prix, becoming the first Argentine to compete in Formula 1 in 23 years. “We are proud to have returned Argentina to the F1 grid, want to thank Franco for everything he has brought to the team and look forward to future battles on track.”
“I want to say a big thanks to Williams Racing and the team partners, who supported me from the moment I joined the Academy and gave me the opportunity of becoming a Formula 1 driver. The agreement between Williams and Alpine means that Franco will be moving on to a promising role with a multi-year contract at Alpine. — Williams Racing (@WilliamsRacing) January 9, 2025
We’re not crying, you are 💙”They made my dreams come true and I will always be grateful for that. I’d like to thank the mechanics and all the team members who made a massive effort to put the car on track and give me the opportunity to score points. “Over nine memorable races with Williams he clearly showed he is deserving of a place in Formula 1 and we always said we would support him to get one.Colapinto brings with him valuable backing from Argentina and Latin America, which played a part in the negotiations between Williams and Alpine. Additionally, Colapinto’s potential role as a mid-season replacement for Jack Doohan at Alpine opens up exciting possibilities for his future in the sport, keeping him in contention for a full-time seat in the coming seasons.21-year-old Argentine driver Franco Colapinto bids an emotional farewell to Williams Racing to join Alpine as their Test and Reserve Driver for the 2025 season. “The Williams Racing Driver Academy exists to discover and develop the F1 stars of the future which is exactly what it has done in Franco’s case, and builds on our long tradition of giving talented young drivers their break at the top level of motorsport. “Williams has one of the most formidable driver line-ups on the grid for 2025 and beyond in Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz, so we believe this agreement with Alpine represents Franco’s best chance of securing a race seat in 2025 or 2026. “We are pleased to have reached an agreement with Alpine for Franco to join the team on a multi-year arrangement starting in 2025.Before reaching F1, he had a strong junior career, achieving victories across various single-seater competitions and ranking sixth in the 2024 F2 feeder championship, which also included a win and several podium finishes.One of our own.”And to the fans, who have been so supportive, you have been there for us in the good times and bad; you are the best.”Franco shared his thanks to the Williams team for their ongoing support, stating:
Motorsports
Agretelis Continues to Roll Saturday at the HSR Sebring Pistons & Props Presented by Alan Jay Automotive Network
- David Agretelis Records a Repeat Overall HSR Feature Race Victory Saturday with the Outright and GT Classic (GTC) Wins in His 901 Shop 1973 No. 92 Porsche 911 RSR in the B.R.M Chronographes Endurance Challenge
- Mike SkeenTops 39-Car Field to Win Saturday’s Feature HSR Mission GT Challenge Sprint Race in the 2019 No. 62 Porsche Type 991.2 GT2 911 RS/CS
- Ryan Gemmell Returns to Victory Lane in The NEMCO Motorsports 2009 No. 6 Toyota Camry as HSR NASCAR Classic is Back in Action at Sebring to Closeout 2025 Season
SEBRING, Florida (December 6, 2025) – Earlier this weekend, winning HSR driver David Agretelis borrowed a Porsche engine from teammate Todd Treffert. Now Agretelis is grabbing the headlines from his 901 Shop stablemate.
Agretelis rolled to his second-straight HSR feature race victory Saturday with the outright and GT Classic (GTC) division wins in His 901 Shop 1973 No. 92 Porsche 911 RSR in the B.R.M Chronographes Endurance Challenge one-hour race. Agretelis topped a 25 car field in the B.R.M race, a strong follow up to his Friday triumph over 37 other competitors for both the overall and Porsche-class wins in the SascoSports American/International Challenge presented by Hoosier sprint race.
Such weekend sweeps at Sebring are familiar achievements for Treffert – a perennial HSR race winner and champion – but the veteran HSR competitor has called it a year and is not at Sebring this weekend after already putting a solid racing season in the books. A highlight was at March’s HSR Classic Sebring 12 Hour presented by Mission Foods where Treffert and Agretelis each won their first HSR Classic Endurance Championship presented by Mission Foods races after years of trying.
The dual Sebring success was a springboard to great seasons for both drivers, but Agretelis would have missed this weekend’s finale if Treffert hadn’t selflessly loaned him one of his Porsche powerplants after Agretelis’ engine faltered in Thursday’s practice. The end result for Agretelis was nothing short of perfect.
Agretelis shared the winner’s rostrum in Saturday morning’s B.R.M. race with overall second-place finisher and Historic class winner Gil West in his Vintage Racing Co. 1997 No. 44 Porsche 993 RSR. The Vintage class win was secured by the always quick Jamie Busby who crossed the finish line a solid fourth overall in his KMW Motorsports 1970 No. 88 Porsche 914/6.
Another strong field took the green flag in Saturday’s featured HSR Mission GT Challenge sprint that followed the weekend’s opening ceremonies, complete with a Fly Over and Presentation of Colors by Highlands County Composite Squadron FL-314 of the Civil Air Patrol U.S. Air Force Auxiliary.
The win in the 39-car field went to Mike Skeen in the Jacalone Brothers 2019 No. 62 Porsche Type 991.2 GT2 911 RS/CS. Skeen prevailed in a nice all-pro battle with Aston Martin Team Valkyrie GTP driver Roman De Angelis, who was reunited with the same Mark Motors Racing 2019 No. 79 Porsche 991.2 GT3 Cup he drove in IMSA and Canadian Porsche GT3 Cup competition six years ago.
Perhaps the most impressive drive of the race was HSR Champion driver Ben Myers stepping up to join the pair of accomplished professional drivers on the podium with a lead-pack third-place finish in his 2017 Type 991.2 No.29 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup prepared by the 901 Shop.
Another Saturday highlight was the first HSR NASCAR Classic race weekend since the VIRginia International Raceway (VIR) round in September. The return of big-iron NASCAR thunder to Sebring was a welcome sight and sound.
Picking up his winning ways right where he left off, Ryan Gemmell scored the overall victory in his NEMCO Motorsports 2009 No. 6 Toyota Camry.
Camden Murphy finished second in a similar NEMCO 2006 No. 87 Toyota Camry while Patrick Womack pulled off another NASCAR Classic podium finish in his ex-FedEx Joe Gibbs Racing NEMCO-prepared 2014 No. 11 Toyota Camry.
In addition to a full schedule of season-ending HSR races, a Sunday highlight at Pistons & Props will be the exit parade of this weekend’s attending historic airplanes from the Sebring circuit false grid back to Sebring Regional Airport to prepare for their respective flights home. The planes will begin to parade out of the paddock and back to the airport for departure on Sunday, December 7, at 11:40 a.m. EST.
For complete information on the HSR Sebring Pistons & Props event weekend, including the event schedule, entry list and ticket information, visit the Official Event Page here.
About HSR: An International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) property, Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) was formed in the mid-1970s with an event at Road Atlanta. There was one goal then and it remains true today: to celebrate the racing cars from the past. As a “time machine” of sights and sounds, HSR provides a venue for competitors and spectators alike to share in the wonderful history and excitement created by the cars that competed at race tracks around the world. HSR currently sanctions eight vintage and historic racing events at some of the world’s most renowned race tracks, including Road Atlanta, Sebring International Raceway, Daytona International Speedway and more. The complete schedule and full event information can be found on HSR’s website at www.HSRRace.com. Look for the HSR Channel on YouTube and follow HSR on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/HSRrace/ and on Twitter X at @HSR_race and Instagram @HistoricSportscarRacing.
Motorsports
Former NASCAR driver Michael Annett dies at 39
Michael Annett, who competed in NASCAR’s three national series, has died at 39, according to CBS Saturday.
DES MOINES, Iowa — Michael Annett, a former NASCAR driver who made 436 combined starts across the sport’s three national touring series, has died. He was 39, according to CBS Saturday.
No cause of death was announced.
JR Motorsports, one of Annett’s former teams, announced his passing on social media Friday.
NASCAR confirmed the news on its website, calling Annett a “respected competitor, whose determination, professionalism, and positive spirit were felt by everyone in the garage.”
Annett made 321 starts in the Xfinity Series, 158 of them with JR Motorsports. He joined the team in 2017 when co-owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. signed him, and he remained a key member until retiring in 2021.
Among his career highlights, Annett won the 2019 season-opening Xfinity Series race at Daytona International Speedway. A stress fracture in his leg forced him to miss parts of the 2021 season.
A native of Des Moines, Iowa, Annett was also a two-time winner in the ARCA Menards Series, taking victories at Talladega Superspeedway in 2007 and the Daytona season opener in 2008.
Motorsports
McLaren’s Lando Norris clinches first Formula 1 title at Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Dec. 7, 2025, 11:34 a.m. ET
McLaren driver Lando Norris held his nerve but could not hold back the tears after clinching his first Formula 1 title at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday.
Red Bull driver and defending champion Max Verstappen won the race with Norris placing third behind his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri in second, which allowed Norris to finish two points ahead of Verstappen in the season-long standings.
“It’s incredible. It is pretty surreal. I’ve dreamed of this for a long, long time,” said the 26-year-old Norris, who started his F1 career as a test and reserve driver with McLaren. “I feel like I did my part for the team this year and I’m very proud of myself for that. I’m even more proud for everyone who I hopefully made cry.”

Norris became Britain’s 11th F1 champion, a racing journey that began with kart racing when he was 8 years old. The first of his 11 F1 race wins came last year, when he finished second overall in the standings.
Piastri was also in contention for his first F1 title and finished third in the standings, 13 points behind Norris, who ended the season with seven wins and 423 points.
Norris became the first British champion since Lewis Hamilton won his record-equaling seventh title in 2020, and also denied Verstappen a fifth straight title.
“Oh God. I’ve not cried in a while. It’s a long journey. First of all, I want to say a big thanks to my guys, my parents,” Norris said a few minutes after the race. “I now know what Max feels like a little bit. I want to congratulate him and Oscar, too. It’s been a long year but we did it.”
Norris entered the three-way battle 12 points ahead of Verstappen and 16 ahead of Piastri, who also won seven races but none since the Dutch GP on Aug. 31.
Verstappen started from pole position for with Norris on the front row beside him and Piastri third on the grid. Verstappen needed Norris to be fourth or lower and Norris had to finish outside the top five if Piastri won.
Verstappen’s astounding late-season charge came close to unseating both McLaren drivers after they had shared the lead throughout the season and then were undone by driver and team-strategy errors.
Verstappen’s title chances were dramatically improved with two races to go after Norris and Piastri were disqualified in Las Vegas.
But even Verstappen’s season-leading eighth win and 71st of his career could not stop Norris, who kept his composure on Sunday, having been under severe pressure in recent weeks.
“Oscar and Lando have been awesome all year,” McLaren CEO Zak Brown told broadcaster Sky. “This Max guy is pretty hard to beat.”
The McLaren motorhome erupted with joy when Norris clinched it and Brown congratulated Norris on the team radio in his usual jovial manner.
“Lando, this is Zak from McLaren. Is this the world champion hotline? You did it! You did it! Awesome,” Brown said.
Norris didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He did both.
“Oh my God, thanks so much. I love you guys. Thanks for everything,” Norris said and then broke down in tears.
After crossing the line, Norris stayed in his car for a few moments, visibly emotional. His parents were on the side of the track and he went over to hug them before celebrating with his McLaren engineers and mechanics.
Piastri was looking to become the first Australian champion since Alan Jones in 1980, but his failure to win a race after Zandvoort cost him.
Pole position was crucial on the 58-lap circuit in Abu Dhabi, where overtaking is hard, and so it proved again as Verstappen joined the long list of race winners from pole since 2015.
Charles Leclerc finished fourth for Ferrari ahead of George Russell in a Mercedes and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso in sixth.
Motorsports
Duerksen wins Abu Dhabi Feature Race
Joshua Duerksen (pictured) signed off the 2025 FIA Formula 2 season on the top step once again, winning the Yas Marina Feature Race for AIX Racing. He headed up Roman Stanek, who claimed P2 and helped Invicta Racing retain the Teams’ Championship title. Gabriele Minì completed the podium for PREMA Racing in third place.
AS IT HAPPENED
At lights out, Stanek held onto the lead into Turn 1 while Dino Beganovic was able to slip down the inside of Leonardo Fornaroli for P3.
Into Turn 5 and that became second as the Swede passed Jak Crawford to continue his impressive opening lap. The DAMS Lucas Oil driver was hit with another setback, as he received a 10-second stop/go penalty for not having tyres fitted within the allocated window.
A slipstream into Turn 9 gave Duerksen a chance on Fornaroli, and the AIX driver rounded his Invicta rival to take P4.
Crawford was called into the pitlane at the end of the opening lap to serve his penalty, promoting Beganovic and Duerksen up to second and third places respectively.
The Safety Car was deployed on Lap 2 after contact between Victor Martins and Alexander Dunne which left the Rodin Motorsport driver sideways. He was collected by Cian Shields out of Turn 7 and all three were out of the running as a result.
Back to racing entering Lap 6, and the top positions remained as they were. Stanek and Beganovic were in for their mandatory stops at the end of Lap 7, while Duerksen remained on circuit with Fornaroli, though the Champion was running the Mediums from the start.
The polesitter emerged ahead of Beganovic, but the gap was less than half a second as they re-entered the track. With a slipstream to Turn 5, the Hitech TGR driver swept past Stanek to take P15 on the road, while Duerksen was called in by AIX to respond to their stops.
Stanek retained the lead at the start while Beganovic made progress on the opening lap
A great in-lap and clean stop got the Paraguayan back out ahead of Beganovic and Stanek, with a two-second gap to spare.
The Virtual Safety Car was deployed on Lap 11 as Sebastián Montoya slowed to a halt ahead of Turn 14 and needed recovering and was converted into a full Safety Car on Lap 12.
The Safety Car was back in going into Lap 15, leaving new race leader Fornaroli to try and build a gap to Duerksen, who headed up those to have already pitted, in ninth position.
Beganovic had been in contention for victory, but a five-second time penalty was handed down for speeding in the pitlane.
Lap 17 and Lindblad was back onto the rear wing of Fornaroli. A look around the outside of Turn 9 didn’t quite pay off, but the duo was 2.2s clear of Richard Verschoor, who’d climbed up to third.
Fornaroli came under pressure on Lap 21, as Lindblad got through, but only temporarily, before the Invicta slipstreamed his way back through on the run to Turn 9 to hold onto P1.
Lap 22 and a dive into Turn 5 by Lindblad put himself and Fornaroli side-by-side heading to Turn 9 once again, he was finally able to make a pass stick to take over in the lead.
Crawford was continuing his comeback drive and cleared Fornaroli into Turn 5 on Lap 24. DRS for the Champion got him back ahead though into Turn 9. The American got his move done two laps later to take second on the road at Turn 5.
With three laps to go, Lindblad was called in for his mandatory stop, and was followed in by Fornaroli, rejoining down in 12th and 13th places respectively.
Crawford and Verschoor followed suit for their stops on the next lap, handing the lead of the race to Duerksen. The DAMS driver rejoined side-by-side with Lindblad, but with tyres up to temperature the Sprint Race victor was able to take the place.
After his podium on Saturday, Duerksen made it two-in-a-row around Yas Marina, winning the Feature Race for the second season in a row.
Duerksen opened the 2025 season with victory and brought the year to an end on the top step
Stanek resisted a late charge by Gabriele Minì to take second, sealing the Teams’ Championship for Invicta. The PREMA Racing driver earned P3 by 0.2s over Beganovic, who dropped off the podium to fourth with his penalty applied.
Oliver Goethe was P5 ahead of Rafael Villagómez, Kush Maini, Ritomo Miyata was eighth as Lindblad and Crawford climbed back into the points following their late stops in ninth and 10th.
KEY QUOTE – Joshua Duerksen, AIX Racing
“What a way to finish the season, P1 in the race. Copy-paste from last year, starting P8 finishing P1. What a way to finish this chapter with AIX Racing. I’m so grateful and they’ve done an amazing job and a mega race. We had great pace, nailed it on the strategy, pitstop and it was really amazing. I’m really grateful to all of you guys, my family, my sponsors, God and I will see you all next year.”
THE CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Fornaroli is of course the 2025 Champion but Crawford’s recovery into the points seals P2 in the Drivers’ Championship for the American. Richard Verschoor signs off in F2 with third place ahead of Luke Browning and Alexander Dunne in the top five.
Invicta Racing retain their status as Formula 2 Teams’ Champions after Stanek’s podium. Hitech TGR finish the year in second place ahead of Campos Racing in third. DAMS Lucas Oil and MP Motorsport end the year tied on 207 points, but it’s the French team that take fourth on countback.
UP NEXT
The racing season is over but FIA Formula 2 will be back on track around Yas Marina Circuit for post-season testing from 10-12 December. Follow all of the sessions live on the official website and via F2 social media channels.
ABU DHABI FEATURE RACE RESULTS – 33 LAPS
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Behind |
| 1 | 20 | Joshua Duerksen | AIX Racing | +0.000s |
| 2 | 2 | Roman Stanek | Invicta Racing | +5.505s |
| 3 | 10 | Gabriele Mini | Prema Racing | +6.057s |
| 4 | 8 | Dino Beganovic | Hitech | +6.339s |
| 5 | 5 | Oliver Goethe | MP Motorsport | +12.349s |
| 6 | 25 | Rafael Villagomez | Van Amersfoort Racing | +16.168s |
| 7 | 12 | Kush Maini | DAMS | +16.898s |
| 8 | 15 | Ritomo Miyata | ART Grand Prix | +17.413s |
| 9 | 4 | Arvid Lindblad | Campos Racing | +24.448s |
| 10 | 11 | Jak Crawford | DAMS | +25.789s |
| 11 | 1 | Leonardo Fornaroli | Invicta Racing | +26.625s |
| 12 | 3 | Nikola Tsolov | Campos Racing | +30.710s |
| 13 | 6 | Richard Verschoor | MP Motorsport | +33.738s |
| 14 | 7 | Luke Browning | Hitech | +37.380s |
| 15 | 16 | Martinius Stenshorne | Rodin Motorsport | +38.432s |
| 16 | 24 | John Bennett | Van Amersfoort Racing | +42.986s |
| 17 | 23 | Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak | Trident | +52.498s |
| Ret | 9 | Sebastian Montoya | Prema Racing | |
| Ret | 17 | Alex Dunne | Rodin Motorsport | |
| Ret | 14 | Victor Martins | ART Grand Prix | |
| Ret | 21 | Cian Shields | AIX Racing | |
| Ret | 22 | Laurens van Hoepen | Trident |
Fastest lap: Crawford, 1m38.818s
Motorsports
Verstappen shows true colors in radio message after Hamilton crash – Motorsport – Sports
Hamilton’s 16th-place result represents progress from recent outings when he crossed the line in 20th (dead last) in Las Vegas and 17th in Qatar, reports the Mirror US.
“I don’t have the words to describe the feeling inside me,” he stated after the race. “There is just an unbearable amount of anger and rage. There is not really much I can say about it.”
Hamilton had previously triumphed five times at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi. He’ll conclude the 2025 season far removed from championship contention once more. Following Las Vegas, Hamilton labeled this his “worst season ever. “I feel terrible, terrible. It’s been the worst season ever,” he declared. “No matter how much I try, it keeps getting worse. I’m trying everything, in and out of the car.”
Verstappen, however, sits 12 points behind Lando Norris heading into Sunday’s championship finale that could deny him a remarkable fifth consecutive F1 title. He emerged triumphant in that Las Vegas showdown.
He secured pole position on Saturday with a razor-thin 0.03-second margin, setting himself up perfectly for Sunday’s decisive race. “We found a bit more lap time, and I am incredibly happy to be in first,” he remarked after the session. “That’s the only thing we can do, we can control, to maximise what we have and what we can with the car, and we definitely did that in qualifying.”
1996 world champion Damon Hill showered the gifted Red Bull ace with acclaim during his BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra appearance on Saturday. “Max Verstappen just piled on the pressure on everyone; he just kept on getting better,” he declared. “He’s just a machine, Red Bull are just so strong, and they have done everything they need to do.”
Motorsports
Michael Arnett, NASCAR racer, dies at 52: ‘Sad to see him go’
Michael Annett, a past NASCAR winner at Talladega and Daytona, has died at age 39.
JR Motorsports announced Annett’s death on Friday.
NASCAR.com reports the Des Moines, Iowa native made 436 combined starts across NASCAR’s three national touring series, with 321 in the Xfinity Series.
In 2019, he took the series’ season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway in the No. 1 JRM Chevrolet for his first and only win at the national level.
He retired in 2021 after a stress fracture kept him out for parts of the season.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Annett family with the passing of our friend Michael Annett,” JR Motorsports shared in a post on X.
“Michael was a key member of JRM from 2017 until he retired in 2021 and was an important part in turning us into the four-car organization we remain today.”
Annett made his debut in 2008 before going full-time in 2009, entering with Germain Racing before transitioning to Rusty Wallace Racing and Richard Petty Motorsports.
He spent three years at the sport’s top level in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving for Turner Scott Motorsports from 2014 through 2016 and making 106 starts across those three seasons. He then joined JRM in 2017.
Annett was also a two-time winner in the ARCA Menards Series, with a Talladega Superspeedway victory in 2007 before winning the 2008 series opener at Daytona.
In a statement, NASCAR called him a “respected competitor whose determination, professionalism, and positive spirit were felt by everyone in the garage.”
“Throughout his career, he represented our sport with integrity and the passion of a true racer,” NASCAR’s statement said.
Brad Keselowski paid tribute to Annett on social media after his death.
“Michael was an up and comer at the same time I was and he was looking really good. In the end, Life took us different paths and all of us who knew him and the talent he had are sad to see him go, but glad he is no longer suffering,” he wrote.
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