FIA Prize Giving Magazine 2023

EVENT MAGAZINE

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WELCOME TO THE 2O23 FIA PRIZE GIVING Dear friends, I am delighted to welcome you to the wonderful city of Baku for the 2023 FIA Prize Giving ceremony, an evening of celebration of outstanding achievement in global motor sport. Tonight we gather in the futuristic setting of the Baku Convention Centre to acknowledge not only our champions, but also those who have captured the imagination of the motor sport community through their commitment, spirit and endeavour, and those who have laid down a marker at the start of their careers.

It is important for the geographical expansion of FIA Member Club participation that we bring signature FIA events to countries like Azerbaijan. Hosting FIA gatherings such as this, the climax of the FIA General Assemblies week, will stimulate interest and growth in motor sport in the region. My warmest thanks to the Azerbaijan Automobile Federation (AAF) for hosting us, the City of Baku and the Baku City Circuit and our partners Rolex, Hankook and Brembo.

Tonight, we honour the stars of our sport – our World Champions. Supporting every champion is a group of passionate people who contribute greatly to their success.

Accordingly, our appreciation extends to the manufacturers, the promoters, the families and friends. I would also like to pay tribute to the thousands of volunteers and officials who dedicate themselves to ensuring the safety and fairness of events all over the world. Without them, motor sport simply would not happen.

This year we have brought strong governance and technical innovation at world championship level while we continue to foster grass roots initiatives such as our arrive and drive karting concept launched this week in Baku.

Across the entire FIA motor sport portfolio, we continue to promote environmental sustainability – towards our goal of net-zero by 2030. We all recognise that motor sport can be a vehicle for societal change and I am delighted with the gathering momentum behind our United Against Online Abuse campaign. There is still much to do and I urge you all to join us on this mission. We have also celebrated FIA Members’ achievements in the fields of Equality, Diversity, Inclusion, Climate Action and Road Safety, with the second year of the President’s Awards at our Annual General meeting.

For those unable to be with us in person tonight, the ceremony will be broadcast on the FIA’s Youtube channel. I look forward to celebrating the 2023 champions and I extend to our entire motor sport family my very best wishes for the holiday season.

Yours sincerely,

Mohammed Ben Sulayem FIA President

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TURNING PASSION INTO PERFORMANCE

Motorsport is in our DNA. That's why we put all our passion into researching and developing the most advanced braking systems so we can help those who rely on us be successful too. The same passion and dedication run through everything we do, because innovation is always a race. There is no finish line.

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CONTENTS CEREMONY PROGRAMME

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MASTERS OF CEREMONIES Derin Adetosoye Harry Benjamin

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FIA AWARDS FIA Karting World Championships FIA World Rally-Raid Championship FIA Action of the Year FIA Rookie of the Year ABB FIA Formula E World Championship FIA World Rallycross Championship FIA World Endurance Championship FIA World Rally Championship FIA Formula One World Championship

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OTHER FIA CHAMPIONS

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Greetings from our host

The FIA is grateful to its Official Partners: Rolex, Hankook and Brembo for their contribution to the 2023 FIA Prize Giving.

The FIA would also like to thank the hosts of this years Prize Giving: Azerbaijan Automobile Federation, Executive Power of Baku City, Baku City Circuit and Heydar Aliyev Center.

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CEREMONY PROGRAMME OVERTURE PART I FIA Karting World Championships Macau GP 70th Anniversary FIA Formula 2 & FIA Formula 3 Championships FIA World Rally Raid Championship FIA Outstanding Official Of The Year

PART II FIA Founding Members’ Club Heritage Cup FIA Tribute FIA World Rallycross Championship FIA Rookie of the Year ABB FIA Formula E World Championship FIA Action of the Year FIA World Endurance Championship

PART III FIA World Rally Championship FIA President’s Innovation Medal FIA Formula One World Championship

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masters of ceremonies 7

MASTER OF CEREMONY

DERIN ADETOSOYE 24-year-old Derin Adetosoye rose onto the scene after winning the Formula E Open Talent Call for Presenters in 2020, where she was selected out of 800 applicants to join the presenting line up of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship – making history as the first black female presenter for an international motorsport rights holder.

With her background as a Content Creator on YouTube, where she’s built up a large Gen Z following across her platforms, Derin is also the face of Formula E’s digital and social media channels and draws on her experience to connect the sport with new, younger audiences.

This year saw Derin land the exciting role as Anchor of the brand new F1 Academy Series broadcasted on Sky Sports F1 and Formula One. The all-female racing series encompasses her passions of diversity and inclusion in motorsport and sees her provide coverage of the actionpacked racing series as well as interviewing the next generation of female racing stars.

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Derin also regularly works with teams, partners and manufacturers across motorsports as a presenter and live events host, such as for Oracle Red Bull Racing, Jaguar TCS Racing, Liberty Global, DHL Motorsports, Nissan, UNICEF UK and was the host of last year’s FIA Prize Giving Ceremony.

Alongside her passions of motorsport, Derin can also be seen working across fashion, entertainment and education as a presenter for the likes of BAFTA, NBC Universal, BBC Bitesize, British Council and London College of Fashion and is also a live stadium host within Rugby!

On top of it all, she is a UK Ambassador for Adobe and sits on their Creative Council board as a consultant to help engage the brand with Gen Z audiences.

MASTER OF CEREMONY

HARRY BENJAMIN Harry Benjamin is a British TV & Radio Broadcaster, best known for his work in Formula 1. Harry leads BBC Radio 5 Live’s coverage of F1 having also held roles with F1TV, Formula 2, 3, F1 Academy and fronted the coverage of the first ever Sky F1 Kids programme in 2023.

Harry was recognised early on as one of the next best broadcasters coming into the industry by Global and BBC Radio 1, very quickly joining the Absolute Breakfast Show team with Dave Berry, as an accidental producer, whilst still at University!

Harry’s approachable, warm and energetic style has made him the popular choice for many broadcasters and brands such as Samsung, BBC Three, Children in Need, Goodwood, Bitesize and more.

His reliability and charm has also seen Harry undertake regular work presenting and hosting live events for the likes of Ferrari, Porsche, F1 Manager, CarFest and Silverstone.

It’s not all about 4 wheels as Harry has worked in Golf, Table Tennis and MotoGP where he currently hosts the number 1 Podcast - OMG! MotoGP. Outside of sport, Harry loves to entertain having trained as an actor at the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. This has seen him perform in sell out comedies at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and at theatres around the UK; host shows across Bauer’s Hits Radio and Global’s Heart, featured on BBC Radio 2’s Late Show and acted as Magic Radio and Sirius XMs Olivier Awards Red Carpet Reporter.

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EV Exclusive Tyre

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FIA KARTING WORLD CHAMPION, OK

KIRILL KUTSKOV Trained for competition in the Mini category, Kirill Kutskov finished in the top 10 of the FIA Karting European Championship - Junior in his second year in OK-Junior.

Moving up to the OK category at the end of 2022, he made positive progress throughout the 2023 season at the wheel of a KR / IAME / MG for the Spanish DPK Racing team. At Franciacorta (ITA), Kirill started 19th in Qualifying Practice among the 111 participants in the Mondokart.com FIA Karting World Championship - OK. He started the Final from the 7th row of the grid. Thanks to a well-managed start to the race, in which he overtook wisely and avoided incidents, he was 3rd before the halfway mark. When the top two crashed and retired, he found himself in the lead and managed to hold on to his advantage with a great deal of maturity against Rene’ Lammers (NLD). In doing so, at the age of 15, he won a World Championship with the team that had won the previous year with Matheus Morgatto.

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FIA KARTING WORLD CHAMPION, JUNIOR

DRIES VAN LANGENDONCK At just 13 years of age, Dries van Langendonck was competing in his first full season in OK-Junior in 2023 after more than two years of competition in the Mini category. Already ranked 7th in the 2022 FIA Karting World Championship - Junior in his first race in OK-Junior, he finished in the top five of the FIA Karting European Championship - Junior this year and proved his talent on numerous occasions driving an Exprit / TM Kart / Vega for the British Forza Racing team. Competing against 122 rivals on the Franciacorta circuit in Italy, Dries put together a solid run from 10th place in Qualifying to 4th place in the Qualifying Heats. Starting 3rd in the Mondokart.com FIA Karting World Championship - Junior Final, he took the lead on the second lap and never relinquished the lead. He won the race with the fastest lap and a lead of over 2 seconds to take the World Championship.

FIA KARTING WORLD CHAMPION, KZ

PAOLO IPPOLITO At 27, Italian Paolo Ippolito has been involved in international competition for several seasons. After making his debut in 2010 in the Junior category (KF3), he stepped up his programme from 2011 in KF2 and moved into gearbox karts in Italy in 2013. He finished 3rd in the FIA Karting European Championship – KZ2 in 2017 and 10th in the FIA Karting International Super Cup - KZ2 in 2019. His development meant that he could move up to KZ from 2020. Increasingly experienced, Paolo won the FIA Karting European Championship - KZ in 2022 on a KR / IAME / LeCont from the official KR Motorsport team and secured a top five finish in 2023. In Germany, during the FIA Karting Mondokart.com - KZ World Championship, Paolo started by setting the 2nd fastest Qualifying time on the Wackersdorf track. He then went on to start the Final from 2nd position.

While several of his rivals encountered problems at the start of the race, he escaped into the lead. The comeback of 2022 World Champion Viktor Gustafsson (SWE) in his wake during the second half of the Final did not prevent Ippolito from winning the race and the KZ World Champion title, the first obtained by a KR / IAME combination in this category.

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CHAMPION MANUFACTURER

TOYOTA GAZOO RACING Toyota Gazoo Racing was the class of the field and clinched a second successive FIA World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) Manufacturers’ title with a round to spare.

The South Africa-based operation worked in conjunction with Belgium’s Overdrive Racing and ran a Toyota GR DKR Hilux for Nasser Al-Attiyah and his co-driver Mathieu Baumel, with Overdrive Racing running additional cars for the likes of Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Juan Cruz Yacopini.

Toyota Gazoo Racing sealed the title before October’s Rally of Morocco and went on to round off the season with a winning margin of 103 points over the X-Raid JCW Mini Team. Bahrain Raid Xtreme finished the year in third, a further two points adrift.

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Al-Attiyah began the season in spectacular fashion by winning his fifth Dakar and a third with Toyota Gazoo Racing, although a number of stage wins and consistent performances by runner-up Sébastien Loeb enabled Bahrain Raid Xtreme to come away from Saudi Arabia with a onepoint cushion in the Manufacturers’ Championship.

But victory for Al-Rajhi gave Toyota Gazoo Racing a sizeable lead after the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge and the Japanese manufacturer went on to win the next two rounds of the series in México and Argentina, courtesy of Al-Attiyah, to confirm the second title.

CHAMPION DRIVER AND CO-DRIVER

NASSER AL-ATTIYAH & MATHIEU BAUMEL Qatari Nasser Al-Attiyah and his Andorra-based French codriver Mathieu Baumel retained their FIA W2RC Drivers’ and Co-drivers’ Championships for a second season.

A fifth Dakar Rally success for Al-Attiyah and a fourth for Baumel kick-started their W2RC campaign, although the duo finished the grueling Saudi Arabian adventure trailing rivals Sébastien Loeb and Fabian Lurquin by two points, courtesy of the French runner-up’s greater number of stage wins.

Al-Attiyah failed to score any points after an accident at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge and that opened the door for Loeb and Lurquin to snatch an early-season lead of 16 points on an event where Overdrive Racing’s Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk claimed the win.

But Al-Attiyah and Baumel hit back strongly to win both the Sonora Rally in México and Desafio Ruta 40 in Argentina, where Loeb and Lurquin failed to pick up a single point.

As a result, Baumel had already retained the Co-Drivers’ title but Al-Attiyah needed a handful of points from winning the first two special stages at the Rally of Morocco to retain the Drivers’ Championship.

Transmission issues plagued the Qatari in North Africa and he reached the finish in 48th overall on an event where Al-Rajhi and Gottschalk sealed a second win of the campaign to finish as runners-up in the Drivers’ and Codrivers‘ Championships.

Young Juan Cruz Yacopini is leading a new generation of drivers and delivered a quintet of consistent top five finishes, including second place on his home event in Argentina and third in Morocco, on his way to third in the Drivers’ Championship. The feat ensured that Toyota drivers filled the first three positions in the rankings.

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ACTION OF THE YEAR AWARD The FIA Action of the Year award gives fans the opportunity to choose their most spectacular moment from the past year of competition across all of the FIA’s disciplines and is the only prize of the evening voted for by motor sport devotees around the world.

And 2023 has given us some truly incredible moments.

From record-breaking jumps in rallying to thundering five-car tussles for the lead in rallycross, from stunning overtaking moves in Formula 1, Formula E and Formula 3, to breath-taking battles in karting and gravity defying moments in Rally Raid, the past 12 months have provided some amazing action.

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Videos of these dramatic moments were posted on the FIA social media channels and fans were asked to choose their most spectacular piece of motor sport action from the following championships: • FIA Formula One World Championship • FIA World Endurance Championship • FIA Formula E World Championship • FIA Formula 3 Championship • FIA World Rally Championship • FIA European Rally Championship • FIA World Rallycross Championship • FIA World Rally Raid Championship • FIA European Rallycross Championship • FIA Karting Championship – OK Junior

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR AWARD The FIA Rookie of the Year award is for drivers who have performed at the highest level in their first season in a given championship. Previous winners include Charles Leclerc who claimed the prize for his title-winning sole season in the FIA Formula 2 Championship. The Monegasque driver’s performance earned him an F1 drive with Sauber in 2018, where his debut campaign won him the award for the second time.

In 2019, the prize went to Alex Albon for his first season in Formula 1 during which he finished in the points on 13 occasions. The following year, the award went to current

AlphaTauri F1 driver Yuki Tsunoda who impressed in his first season in Formula 2 and in 2021 the award was presented to current McLaren F1 driver Oscar Piastri who, like Leclerc, won the Formula 2 title at the first time of asking. Last year, the award went to Barbados’ Zane Maloney who impressed by taking the runner-up spot in the FIA Formula 3 Championship before moving to F2 in 2023.

This year’s nominees have all delivered similarly outstanding debut seasons in their particular disciplines and as with previous winners, a successful career at the top levels of motorsport surely awaits.

LED BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE FIA DRIVERS’ COMMISSION PRESIDENT, RONAN MORGAN (IRL), THE JUDGING PANEL IS COMPRISED OF: • 2003 FIA World Rally Champion, double FIA World Rallycross Champion and Drivers’ Commission Vice President Petter Solberg (NOR) • Former Indycar driver Felipe Giaffone (BRA) • Former FIA Formula 1 and FIA Formula E driver Karun Chandhok (IND) • Five-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Emanuele Pirro (ITA) • Two-time 24 Houses of Le Mans winner Manuel Reuter (DEU) • Former racing driver and founder of the TOMS racing team Nobuhide Tachi (JPN) • Four-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Yannick Dalmas (FRA)

• Former FIA Formula 1 and FIA Formule E driver Esteban Gutiérrez (MEX) • Former Sports Car, Touring Car and Rally driver Marc Duez (BEL) • Former Touring Car, GT and 24 Hours of Le Mans driver Ni Amorim (PRT) • Former GT Driver and British GT Champion Andrew Howard (GBR) • Fourteen-time FIA European Rallycross Champion Kenneth Hansen (SWE) • DTM race winner and FIA Women in Motorsport Commission member Ellen Lohr (DEU)

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CHAMPION TEAM

ENVISION RACING Envision Racing entered the 2022/23 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship with a race-winning line-up behind the wheel of its two Gen3 single-seaters, as 2015/16 champion Sébastien Buemi joined the incumbent Nick Cassidy on the driving strength.

Seemingly re-invigorated by his off-season switch, it was the Swiss star who scored the lion’s share of the squad’s early points. Over the balance of the campaign, he notched up two pole positions and nine top six finishes, threatening the podium on multiple occasions before finally ascending the bottom step in the penultimate round in London.

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If Buemi was a model of consistency, then Cassidy would prove to be Envision’s main man when it came to vying for victory, triumphing four times en route to the runner-up spoils in the Drivers’ classification. It was the New Zealander’s stellar form that was the key to glory in the Teams’ tussle too, as the British outfit narrowly saw off similarly-powered Jaguar TCS Racing to seal its maiden Formula E title in the season finale.

CHAMPION DRIVER

JAKE DENNIS Jake Dennis came out-of-the-blocks on fine form in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship in Season 9, tallying a dominant fourth career victory in the Mexico City curtainraiser. A brace of runner-up results in Diriyah kept him firmly in the hunt, before a fallow period from Hyderabad to Berlin – yielding four consecutive non-scores – dropped the Brit to fifth in the standings, 32 points off the lead.

It looked as though the title was slipping away, but Dennis is made of stern stuff and a return to the rostrum in race two

in Berlin sparked a run of eight podium finishes from nine starts. By the time the field left Jakarta in June, the Avalanche Andretti star had clawed his way back to just a single point shy of the top of the table, and next time out in Portland, he re-seized the advantage.

He might have triumphed only twice, but Dennis’ consistency over the second half of the campaign was unparalleled, and that was what ultimately secured the 28-year-old the coveted Drivers’ crown.

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CHAMPION TEAM

KRISTOFFERSSON MOTORSPORT Kristoffersson Motorsport put in another dominant performance against strong opposition to secure back-toback FIA World Rallycross Championship Teams’ titles.

Running under the Volkswagen Dealerteam BAUHAUS banner, the Swedish team – which was founded in 1989 by successful rallycross racer Tommy Kristoffersson – clinched the 2023 Teams’ title at the penultimate round of the series in Hong Kong.

Lead driver Johan Kristoffersson was once again the team’s primary points scorer, with early victories in Portugal,

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Norway and Sweden setting the Arvika-based squad on its path to retaining the World RX title.

Kristoffersson was ably supported all season by team-mate Ole Christian Veiby, while Gustav Bergström contested the opening three rounds in a third car.

Kristoffersson Motorsport’s junior Team E squad also powered Nils Andersson to the FIA RX2e Championship drivers’ title.

CHAMPION DRIVER

JOHAN KRISTOFFERSSON It wasn’t until he’d won the final round of the 2023 FIA World Rallycross Championship that Johan Kristoffersson allowed himself to celebrate his sixth title.

The day before the Swede had failed to top the standings in any session – a rarer occurrence you’ll be hard press to find – and when he finished last in the final (after his car cut out on track) it gave Kristoffersson little pleasure to win the title in such fashion.

But come day two of the World RX of Hong Kong and Kristoffersson was back to his winning best – with victory in a heat, his semi-final and the final putting a smile back on the champion’s face.

The season had started well for Kristoffersson, with victories at Montalegre (Portugal), Hell (Norway) and Höljes (Sweden) – with a masterclass performance at all three opening World RX rounds with fastest SuperPole time in each and a clean sweep of victories in the heats, semi-finals and finals.

The switch from RX1e to ZEROID X1 cars to complete the season gave drivers an added challenge, yet Kristoffersson came out on top when World RX resumed in Cape Town.

Third in the final on day two saw him leave South Africa with one hand on the trophy.

The first city centre World RX event, and the first in the Asia-Pacific region, was a fitting location for Kristoffersson to clinch his sixth title in seven years – and his 40th career race win.

Kevin Hansen (Hansen World RX Team) finished second, 37 points behind Kristoffersson, having taken victory in the first race in Hong Kong. Niclas Grönholm (CE Dealer Team) came home third while Timo Scheider, who’d given All-Inkl. com Münnich Motorsport its first World RX race victory in Cape Town, finished fourth.

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The FIA thanks all the volunteers and officials who made the 2023 motor sport season possible.

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FIA HYPERCAR WORLD ENDURANCE MANUFACTURERS’ CHAMPION

TOYOTA GAZOO RACING Toyota has enjoyed yet another ultra-successful FIA World Endurance Championship campaign this season, with the Japanese manufacturer winning its fifth consecutive top-class title in the series in a convincing style.

The squad’s title defence got off to a strong start, with victories in the first three races of the season shared between its two Toyota Gazoo Racing-entered GR010 Hybrids.

Then came the focal point of the campaign, the centenary 24 Hours of Le Mans race, which beyond its undisputable prestige also awards double the points of a standard WEC race and is crucial from the title battle point of view.

The French century-old classic was the Japanese squad’s only hiccup this season, with the win going to Hypercar-class newcomer Ferrari, in what was the only non-Toyota victory of the season.

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It was the first time since 2017 that the Japanese manufacturer did not win the race. Yet, despite losing out, it still came second to gather the all-important championship points.

The manufacturer’s fourth triumph of the year came on its home soil, in the penultimate round of the series, the 6 Hours of Fuji, which cemented its championship victory.

Despite having the title in the bag, Toyota signed off its campaign in style, taking victory number six in the seasonconcluding 8 Hours of Bahrain race.

FIA HYPERCAR WORLD ENDURANCE DRIVERS’ CHAMPIONS

SÉBASTIEN BUEMI, BRENDON HARTLEY, RYŌ HIRAKAWA The #8 Toyota Gazoo Racing crew of Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ry Hirakawa claimed their second FIA Hypercar World Endurance Drivers’ Championship in a row.

For Buemi and Hartley these were their fourth career WEC drivers’ titles, while Hirakawa claimed his second crown in as many years to maintain his 100 per cent record of success.

Yet, it wasn’t all so rosy from the off. During the seasonopening 1000 Mile of Sebring, the trio had to settle for second with the victory going to the sister #7 car of Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi, José María López.

At Portimão the #7 car was compromised by a technical issue and the pendulum swung toward the #8 entry, which went on to take its first win of the season. The trio of the #7 car then responded with a victory in round three, held at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps.

The 24 Hours of Le Mans race was, however, very much a turning point of the season, with Kobayashi involved in a multi-car accident during night and failing to see the race out.

In the second part of the season, despite wins at Monza and Fuji, the crew of the #7 car arrived at the title-deciding final race of the year, held in Bahrain, with 15 points separating them from their championship-leading team-mates, but with a total of 39 points up for grabs.

Come qualifying, however, and the championship-leading #8 entry was in a class of its own, securing its second pole position of the season courtesy of Brendon Hartley and edging towards the title.

In the race, the title chances of the #7 car were ended on the opening lap with Conway’s Turn 1 spin resulting from a hit by the #2 Cadillac Racing V-Series.R driven by Earl Bamber, who outbraked himself.

From that point on, the #8’s title was never in doubt and it went on to finish the race, beating its sister entry 4-2 on victories over the course of the seven-round season.

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CHAMPION MANUFACTURER

TOYOTA GAZOO RACING TOYOTA GAZOO Racing WRT’s success in the FIA World Rally Championship continued in 2023 with a third Manufacturers’ title in as many years after another standout campaign.

Sébastien Ogier, undertaking a partial schedule of events, got TOYOTA GAZOO Racing’s 2023 season off to the perfect start with victory on Rallye Monte-Carlo.

The Frenchman, the eight-time winner of the FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers, triumphed again on Guanajuato Rally México before Kalle Rovanperä kickstarted his own title defence by winning Vodafone Rally de Portugal.

Ogier, who shared the fourth GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid with development driver Takamoto Katsuta, made it a personal hat-trick of 2023 victories with first place on Safari Rally Kenya ahead of a Rovanperä win on Rally Estonia.

Long-serving TOYOTA GAZOO Racing WRT driver Elfyn

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Evans, who won the Croatia Rally on Tarmac in April, was the driver to beat on the high-speed gravel stages of Secto Rally Finland. The result reignited his title ambitions only for Rovanperä to top score for a third time on EKO Acropolis Rally Greece.

While Ott Tänak celebrated a second 2023 victory for M-Sport Ford World Rally Team on Rally Chile BioBío, a podium for Evans in South America ensured TOYOTA GAZOO Racing WRT couldn’t be caught in the race to win the FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers for a seventh time.

Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team, which won Rally Italia Sardegna and the Central European Rally, finished second in the standings ahead of M-Sport Ford World Rally Team.

CHAMPION DRIVER AND CO-DRIVER

KALLE ROVANPERÄ AND JONNE HALTTUNEN Kalle Rovanperä, the youngest driver to win the FIA World Rally Championship in 2022, successfully defended his crown in 2023 on the back of a performance that drew comparisons to Juha Kankkunen, his illustrious fellow Finn and four-time WRC champion.

Rovanperä might have been slow to get into his victorious stride – he didn’t win until May’s Vodafone Rally de Portugal – but he was consistent when he wasn’t on top.

While three early-season fourths didn’t necessarily point to the success that followed, his triumph from first on the road in Portugal was a true demonstration of his talent with 10 stage wins out of 19.

Third on the rain-hit Rally Italia Sardegna and a close second to Sébastien Ogier on Safari Rally Kenya netted more important points before his dominant first place on Rally Estonia.

Winning by almost a minute, despite running at the head of the field on day one, Rovanperä clocked 13 consecutive

stage wins alongside co-driver Jonne Halttunen, who was impeccable once again on the right side of the #69 Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid.

Having taken victory on EKO Acropolis Rally Greece to make up for his Secto Rally Finland crash, Rovanperä dropped only two points to team-mate and closest title rival Elfyn Evans on Rally Chile BioBío, where he was particularly hamstrung by his road position.

When Evans crashed on the Central European Rally, Rovanperä backed off in the challenging conditions to become only the sixth driver in WRC history to defend the title.

Having achieved so much so soon in his career, Rovanperä will step back from his full-time world championship commitments in 2024 to showcase his talent across other motor sport disciplines, including drifting. By signing a new multi-year contact with TOYOTA GAZOO Racing WRT, the 23-year-old’s WRC adventure is far from over, however.

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CHAMPION CONSTRUCTOR

ORACLE RED BULL RACING The 2023 FIA Formula One World Championship was a record-breaking season on many levels for returning Constructors’ Champions – Oracle Red Bull Racing.

Off the back of a breakout first season of a new regulations cycle in 2022, the Milton Keynes-based squad wasted no time in asserting its speed at the start of 2023, with a 1-2 finish for the team’s drivers at both of the opening two events– in Bahrain, where Max Verstappen took victory, and Saudi Arabia, where Sergio Pérez stood on the top step.

Pérez would go on to win again in both the Sprint and Grand Prix in Azerbaijan, but thereafter it was Verstappen who led the Red Bull charge, with the Dutch driver going on an unprecedented run of victories that stretched from Miami all the way through to Monza.

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Verstappen’s remarkable winning streak was ably backedup by his Mexican team-mate, with Pérez scoring a further seven podiums across the Sprints and Grands Prix leading up to and including the Japanese Grand Prix, home of Power Unit supplier Honda, where the team secured its seventh Constructors’ Championship with six rounds in hand.

No fewer than 19 wins for Verstappen, plus two for Pérez, eclipsed the team record set by Mercedes in its most dominant 2016 season, and set new standards for the total victories, consecutive victories (15) and points scored by a team (860).

CHAMPION DRIVER

MAX VERSTAPPEN It has been a season as close to perfection as anyone could dream possible for Oracle Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen, who sealed his third World Drivers’ Championship with an utterly dominant display of speed and consistency.

The Dutchman started the season as he meant to go on, with victory at the opening round in Bahrain, comfortably ahead of Red Bull team-mate Sergio Pérez. However, in the opening phase of the campaign it was Pérez putting up the biggest challenge to the reigning champion, with the Mexican star scoring his first win of the year at the second round on the high-speed streets of Saudi Arabia. A fantastic weekend for Checo in Azerbaijan, where he was victorious in both the Saturday Sprint and Sunday’s Grand Prix, left him just six points behind Max after four rounds.

But, at the following round in Miami, Verstappen was back to his imperious best and after dominating the weekend

in Florida, the Dutchman embarked on an unprecedented, record-breaking run of race wins that stretched all the way to the Italian Grand Prix, where a crucial tenth straight victory in Monza that would take him beyond the previous record held by former Red Bull star Sebastian Vettel.

Singapore was the only speedbump in an otherwise nearflawless sequence for the 26-year-old, and after Red Bull wrapped up the Constructors’ contest in Japan, Verstappen moved out of reach of all rivals at the next event in Qatar.

A total of 19 wins – as well as four out of a possible six Sprint wins – represent a unique achievement in Formula 1, and the question that remains now is whether another driver will rise to the challenge, or if Verstappen can surpass his own standards again with a 24-race season in prospect for 2024.

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OTHER FIA CHAMPIONS FIA WRC2 CHAMPIONSHIP FOR DRIVERS & CO-DRIVERS Andreas MIKKELSEN & Torstein ERIKSEN

FIA EUROPEAN RALLY TROPHY FOR JUNIOR DRIVERS Romet JÜRGENSON

FIA WRC2 CHAMPIONSHIP FOR TEAMS TOKSPORT WRT 3

FIA MIDDLE-EAST RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP FOR DRIVERS & CO-DRIVERS Nasser AL-ATTIYAH & Mathieu BAUMEL Ata AL-HMOUD & Abdullah AL-RAWAHI

FIA WRC2 CHALLENGER CHAMPIONSHIP FOR DRIVERS & CO-DRIVERS Kajetan KAJETANOWICZ & Maciej SZCZEPANIAK FIA WRC3 CHAMPIONSHIP FOR DRIVERS & CO-DRIVERS Roope KORHONEN & Anssi VIINIKKA FIA JUNIOR WRC CHAMPIONSHIP FOR DRIVERS & CO-DRIVERS William CREIGHTON & Liam REGAN FIA WRC MASTERS CUP FOR DRIVERS Alexander VILLANUEVA

FIA NACAM RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP FOR DRIVERS & CO-DRIVERS Ricardo CORDERO & Marco HERNANDEZ BRIDGESTONE FIA ECORALLY CUP FOR DRIVERS & CO-DRIVERS Michal ŽDÁRSKÝ & Jakub NABELEK BRIDGESTONE FIA ECORALLY CUP FOR MANUFACTURERS KIA

FIA WRC MASTERS CUP FOR CO-DRIVERS Roberto MOMETTI

FIA WORLD RALLY-RAID CHAMPIONSHIP – T3 DRIVERS & CO-DRIVERS Seth QUINTERO & Dennis ZENZ

FIA AFRICAN RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP FOR DRIVERS & CO-DRIVERS Karan PATEL & Tauseed KHAN

FIA WORLD RALLY-RAID CHAMPIONSHIP – T4 DRIVERS & CO-DRIVERS Rokas BACIUŠKA & Oriol VIDAL

FIA ASIA-PACIFIC RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP FOR DRIVERS & CO-DRIVERS Rifat SUNGKAR & Ben SEARCY

FIA WORLD RALLY-RAID CHAMPIONSHIP – T5 DRIVERS & CO-DRIVERS Janus VAN KASTEREN & Darek RODEWALD

FIA CODASUR RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP FOR DRIVERS & CO-DRIVERS Fabrizio ZALDIVAR & Marcelo DER OHANNESIAN

FIA WORLD CUP FOR CROSS-COUNTRY BAJAS – DRIVERS & CO-DRIVERS Nasser AL-ATTIYAH & Mathieu BAUMEL

FIA EUROPEAN RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP FOR DRIVERS & CO-DRIVERS Hayden PADDON & John KENNARD

FIA WORLD CUP FOR CROSS-COUNTRY BAJAS – TEAMS OVERDRIVE RACING

FIA EUROPEAN RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP FOR TEAMS TEAM MRF TYRES

FIA WORLD CUP FOR CROSS-COUNTRY BAJAS – T3 DRIVERS Otavio SOUSA LEITE

FIA EUROPEAN RALLY TROPHY FOR DRIVERS & CO-DRIVERS Rene DOHNAL & Roman SVEC

FIA WORLD CUP FOR CROSS-COUNTRY BAJAS – T4 DRIVERS Cristiano DE SOUSA BATISTA

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FIA WORLD CUP FOR CROSSCOUNTRY BAJAS – T4 TEAMS SOUTH RACING CAN-AM FIA EUROPEAN CUP FOR CROSS-COUNTRY BAJAS – DRIVERS & CO-DRIVERS Krzysztof HOŁOWCZYC & Łukasz KURZEJA FIA EUROPEAN CUP FOR CROSS-COUNTRY BAJAS – TEAMS SANTAG RACING FIA MIDDLE-EAST CUP FOR CROSSCOUNTRY BAJAS - DRIVERS & CO-DRIVERS Khaled AL-FERAIHI & Sébastien DELAUNAY FIA MIDDLE-EAST CUP FOR CROSSCOUNTRY BAJAS - TEAMS SHEGAWI RACING FIA EUROPEAN RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP – RX1 Anton MARKLUND FIA EUROPEAN RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP – RX3 Damian LITWINOWICZ FIA EUROPEAN RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP – RX2e Nils ANDERSSON FIA WORLD CUP FOR HYPERCAR TEAMS Hertz Team JOTA FIA ENDURANCE TROPHY FOR LMGTE AM DRIVERS Ben KEATING, Nicky CATSBURG & Nicolas VARRONE FIA ENDURANCE TROPHY FOR LMGTE AM TEAMS Corvette Racing FIA ENDURANCE TROPHY FOR LMP2 DRIVERS Louis DELÉTRAZ, Robert KUBICA & Rui ANDRADE FIA ENDURANCE TROPHY FOR LMP2 TEAMS Team WRT

FIA GT WORLD CUP FOR DRIVERS Raffaele MARCIELLO FIA GT WORLD CUP FOR MANUFACTURERS Mercedes-AMG GOODYEAR FIA EUROPEAN TRUCK RACING CHAMPIONSHIP Norbert KISS GOODYEAR FIA EUROPEAN TRUCK RACING CHAMPIONSHIP – TEAMS Révész & T Sport GOODYEAR FIA EUROPEAN TRUCK RACING CHAMPIONSHIP – YOUNG STAR TROPHY José Eduardo RODRIGUES FIA EUROPEAN DRAG RACING CHAMPIONSHIP – TOP FUEL Ida ZETTERSTRÖM FIA EUROPEAN DRAG RACING CHAMPIONSHIP – TOP METHANOL Linn FLØYSVIK FIA EUROPEAN DRAG RACING CHAMPIONSHIP – PRO MODIFIED Jan ERICSSON FIA EUROPEAN DRAG RACING CHAMPIONSHIP – PRO STOCK Michael MALMGREN 2023 OLYMPIC ESPORTS SERIES – MOTOR SPORT EVENT Kylian DRUMONT FIA FORMULA 2 CHAMPIONSHIP FOR DRIVERS Théo POURCHAIRE FIA FORMULA 2 CHAMPIONSHIP FOR TEAMS ART GRAND PRIX FIA FORMULA 3 CHAMPIONSHIP FOR DRIVERS Gabriel BORTOLETO

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FIA FORMULA 3 CHAMPIONSHIP FOR TEAMS PREMA RACING

F4 UNITED STATES CHAMPIONSHIP POWERED BY HONDA Patrick WOODS-TOTH

FIA FORMULA 3 WORLD CUP FOR DRIVERS Luke BROWNING

FORMULA REGIONAL AMERICAS CHAMPIONSHIP POWERED BY HONDA Callum HEDGE

FIA FORMULA 3 WORLD CUP FOR TEAMS HITECH PULSE-EIGHT F4 BRITISH CHAMPIONSHIP CERTIFIED BY FIA Louis SHARP F4 CEZ CHAMPIONSHIP CERTIFIED BY FIA Ethan ISCHER

FORMULA REGIONAL EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP BY ALPINE CERTIFIED BY FIA Andrea Kimi ANTONELLI FORMULA REGIONAL JAPANESE CHAMPIONSHIP CERTIFIED BY FIA Sota OGAWA

F4 CHINESE CHAMPIONSHIP CERTIFIED BY FIA Tiago GOLOVKO RODRIGUES

CASTROL TOYOTA FORMULA REGIONAL OCEANIA CHAMPIONSHIP CERTIFIED BY FIA Charlie WURZ

F4 FRENCH CHAMPIONSHIP CERTIFIED BY FIA Evan GILTAIRE

FORMULA REGIONAL MIDDLE EAST CHAMPIONSHIP CERTIFIED BY FIA Andrea Kimi ANTONELLI

F4 INDIA CHAMPIONSHIP CERTIFIED BY FIA To be decided on 16-17 December

F4 BRAZILIAN CHAMPIONSHIP CERTIFIED BY FIA To be decided on December 2-3

F4 ITALIAN CHAMPIONSHIP CERTIFIED BY FIA – POWERED BY ABARTH Kacper SZTUKA

MONDOKART.COM 2023 FIA KARTING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP – OK CHAMPION Kirill KUTSKOV

F4 JAPANESE CHAMPIONSHIP CERTIFIED BY FIA Rikuto KOBAYAS

MONDOKART.COM 2023 FIA KARTING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP – JUNIOR CHAMPION Dries VAN LANGENDONK

F4 NACAM CHAMPIONSHIP CERTIFIED BY FIA Pedro Juan MORENO F4 SEA CHAMPIONSHIP CERTIFIED BY FIA To be decided on 16-17 December F4 SPANISH CHAMPIONSHIP CERTIFIED BY FIA Théophile NAEL F4 UAE CHAMPIONSHIP CERTIFIED BY FIA – POWERED BY ABARTH James WHARTON

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MONDOKART.COM 2023 FIA KARTING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP – KZ CHAMPION Paolo IPPOLITO 2023 FIA KARTING EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP – OK CHAMPION Rene LAMMERS 2023 FIA KARTING EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP – JUNIOR CHAMPION Oleksandr BONDAREV 2023 FIA KARTING EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP – KZ CHAMPION Danilo ALBANESE

2023 FIA KARTING EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP – KZ2 CHAMPION Freddie SLATER

FIA HISTORIC HILL CLIMB CHAMPIONSHIP – CATEGORY 3 Gerald GLINZNER

2023 FIA KARTING WORLD CUP – KZ2 WINNER Niels TRÖGER

FIA HISTORIC HILL CLIMB CHAMPIONSHIP – CATEGORY 4 Reinhard SONNLEITNER

2023 FIA KARTING INTERNATIONAL MASTERS SUPER CUP – KZ2 WINNER Davide FORÈ

FIA HISTORIC HILL CLIMB CHAMPIONSHIP – CATEGORY 5 Petr TYKAL

2023 FIA KARTING ACADEMY TROPHY WINNER Hugo MARTÍ

FIA HISTORIC HILL CLIMB CHAMPIONSHIP – NATIONS CUP Austria

2023 FIA KARTING ROOKIE OF THE YEAR – OK Rene LAMMERS

FIA HISTORIC FORMULA 3 EUROPEAN CUP – CATEGORY 1 Frédéric ROUVIER

FIA EUROPEAN AUTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP – NATIONS CUP France

FIA HISTORIC FORMULA 3 EUROPEAN CUP – CATEGORY 2 Patrick ANDRIESSEN

FIA EUROPEAN AUTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP – SUPERBUGGY Petr NIKODEM

FIA EUROPEAN HISTORIC RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP – TEAM TROPHY TEAM BASSANO SSD

FIA EUROPEAN AUTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP – BUGGY1600 Jakub NOVOTNY

FIA EUROPEAN HISTORIC RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP FOR DRIVERS & CODRIVERS – CATEGORY 1 Ernie GRAHAM & Karen GRAHAM

FIA EUROPEAN AUTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP – JUNIORBUGGY Arnošt FLORIAN FIA EUROPEAN AUTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP – CROSS CAR Ivan PIÑA CHINCHILLA FIA EUROPEAN AUTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP – CROSS CAR ACADEMY TROPHY Emilien ALLART FIA HISTORIC HILL CLIMB CHAMPIONSHIP – CATEGORY 1 Georg PRUGGER FIA HISTORIC HILL CLIMB CHAMPIONSHIP – CATEGORY 2 Idelbrando MOTTI

FIA EUROPEAN HISTORIC RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP FOR DRIVERS & CODRIVERS – CATEGORY 2 Valter Chr. JENSEN & Erik PEDERSEN FIA EUROPEAN HISTORIC RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP FOR DRIVERS & CODRIVERS - CATEGORY 3 Karl WAGNER & Gerda ZAUNER FIA EUROPEAN HISTORIC RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP FOR DRIVERS & CODRIVERS - CATEGORY 4 “LUCKY” & Fabrizia PONS FIA TROPHY FOR HISTORIC REGULARITY RALLIES FOR DRIVERS & CO-DRIVERS Yves DEFLANDRE & Patrick LIENNE

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GREETINGS FROM OUR HOST

AZERBAIJAN AUTOMOBILE FEDERATION Baku, Azerbaijan, shines as a crown jewel of the Caspian Sea, offering a blend of futuristic wonders and historical treasures. It’s an essential spot for adventurers looking to check a truly unique destination off their bucket list. Baku, standing at the crossroads of the ancient Silk Road, has long been a vibrant mix of cultures, faiths, and traditions.

It also prides itself on stunning natural beauty and a rich oil legacy that, by the early 20th century, was fueling over half the world’s oil demand. During the initial oil boom from 1885 to 1920, Azerbaijan reaped enormous benefits from the knowledge of esteemed European chemists and geologists, turning the country into a hotbed for innovative oil extraction methods. The 1920s saw a pivotal shift as Baku’s steel and oil sectors underwent a massive overhaul

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with the advent of the automobile, becoming a vital cog in the industrial machine.

Moving past its oil-rich history, Azerbaijan is now pioneering the charge in alternative energy across the region.

It stands out for its commitment to renewable energy and the promotion of sustainable mobility. The rapidly growing number of electric vehicles zooming around is a clear sign of this progressive shift.

Today, a century later, the Azerbaijan Automobile Federation (AAF) is the nexus for those passionate about motorsports and road safety. As a member of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), the AAF is driving forward policies that cover the spectrum from motorsport to mobility.

The AAF is making road safety a priority for the youth by using creative drawing classes to clarify traffic laws. They have produced easy-to-understand guides like «Traffic Rules for Children,» «Traffic Rules for Youth,» and «Traffic Rules – Color Yourself.» Moreover, AAF hosts a variety of contests for school students, blending fun with education through interactive games, hands-on safety exercises, quizzes, and unforgettable rewards. The Federation is also deeply involved in championing safety rules and extends its support to social causes, providing much-needed assistance to orphanages and children in distress.

Baku became a focal point for the racing world when Formula 1 discovered it in 2016, hosting the European Grand Prix – a race so electrifying that it secured a yearly slot for F1 in Azerbaijan. The city boasts one of the longest and most demanding temporary street circuits in racing.

The Federation upholds integrity and safety, educates the media on Formula 1 happenings, and runs marshal training programs.

The AAF doesn’t just stop at racing; it’s a driving force in Azerbaijan’s motorsport scene, with an array of projects like

the V1 Challenge races, drift training, off-road excursions, karting contests, and celebrated car rallies. They arrange exhibitions and rallies showcasing over 140 classic cars, alongside the latest sports cars and eco-friendly vehicles, all culminating in festive mini-concerts and competitions.

Most notably, the AAF’s Classic Car Exhibition, in partnership with Germany’s Classic-Remise and France’s National Automobile (Collection Schlumpf) museums, has pulled in car enthusiasts from near and far.

Looking back, one can see, that for over a hundred years, automobiles have been a part of our journey, starting from the days of steam-powered engines to the high-tech vehicles of today. Innovators have continuously pushed the boundaries, making cars faster, more efficient, and uniquely designed.

As our technology progresses, so do our vehicles, constantly enhancing our daily lives. And perhaps, in Azerbaijan, the next automotive visionary is rising, ready to join the ranks of Henry Ford, Gottlieb Daimler, or Wilhelm Maybach. Those of us at the wheel now have the privilege and duty to inspire the next generation, to foster a passion for knowledge, and to navigate the roads ahead with safety and ingenuity.

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